Biden & AOC lead Democrats to land where facts don't matter and truth is make-believe
rt.com | 2019-08-10
From Joe Biden announcing he chooses "truth over facts" and Congresswoman AOC more concerned about being "morally right," their frustration with President Donald Trump is making Democratic Party luminaries run afoul of reality. | …
rt.com/usa/466196-biden-aoc-democrats-facts/

Guatemala Cannot Be 'Safe Third Country', US Congresswoman Says
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-09
U.S. Congresswoman Norma Torres (D-CA) said Thursday that Guatemala does not have the capacity nor the conditions to become a "Safe Third Country" (STC) because it is not able to accommodate asylum seekers that the United States would send to stay there while they process their immigration requests. | RELATED: | Guatemala Farmers Strike Against US Migration Deal | "I believe that I have been very clear in my opinion about this … Guatemala is not prepared to receive thousands of people,"
telesurenglish.net/news/Guatemala-Cannot-Be-Safe-Third-Country-US-Congresswoman-Says-20190809-0001.html

There must be bones under the paved street
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2019-08-09
On 6 August 1945, the United States military dropped a bomb that contained 64kg of uranium-235 over the city of Hiroshima (Japan). The bomb took just over 44 seconds to fall from 9,400 metres and detonated 580 metres above the Shima Surgical Clinic. Over 80,000 people died instantly. This was the first use of the […] | Source…
mronline.org/2019/08/09/there-must-be-bones-under-the-paved-street/

Democracy activists begin three-day protest at Hong Kong airport
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-09
Pro-democracy activists are demonstrating at Hong Kong airport even as the city sought to reassure visitors of their welcome despite increasing levels of violence surrounding the two-month-old protest movement.The government concedes road blockages and confrontations between police and protesters have caused inconvenience, but says they were limited to specific areas.The protests, however, are not abating and more are planned for this weekend, including at the airport, where protesters holding signs staged a sit-in at the arrival and departure halls.Police said they had not received a formal application for the a…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2019/08/09/democracy-activists-begin-three-day-protest-at-hong-kong-airport/

A protester claims Bahraini embassy staff beat and threatened him on a London rooftop
Glen Black | thecanary.co | 2019-08-09
A human rights protester took to the roof of the Bahrain embassy in London on 26 July. Video uploaded online showed him sitting at the roof's edge before someone appeared to pull him back onto the roof. And what he said happened next made him 'fear' becoming "a second… Khashoggi". | Beaten, punched, and choked: | As The Canary previously reported, human rights activist and journalist Moosa Mohammed [Moosa Abd Ali]…
thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2019/08/09/a-protester-claims-bahraini-embassy-staff-beat-and-threatened-him-on-a-london-rooftop/

Friday's Daily Brief: Indigenous Peoples' Day, Yemen food aid, IDs for Rohingya, protect fleeing Malians, Nagasaki Peace Ceremony
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-09
Our main stories: 'Promote' indigenous peoples' languages urges Guterres; WFP resumes Yemen food aid; 500,000 Rohingya ID cards issued; Malians fleeing violence need protection; Nagasaki Peace Ceremony message…
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044081

Indian Troops Fire Tear Gas and Arrest Over 500 in Kashmir
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-09
Indian police used tear gas and pellets to fight back at least 10,000 people protesting Delhi's withdrawal of special rights for Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir state in its main city of Srinagar, Friday, says a police official and witnesses. | RELATED: | Kashmir Under Seige: Is India Using Israel's Colonial Playbook in Kashmir? | The demonstration soon after Friday prayers was the largest since authorities locked down the revolt-torn region five days ago, cutting…
telesurenglish.net/news/Indian-Troops-Fire-Tear-Gas-and-Arrest-Over-500-in-Kashmir-20190809-0007.html

France Fires Back at Trump Over Iran Comments
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-09
France's Foreign Ministry has fired back at U.S. President Donald Trump over his recent comments about Paris' relationship with Iran, which the American leader criticized in a Twitter rant. | RELATED: | France: Police Repress Yellow Vest Protest in Nantes | In a written statement on Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that his country does not need Trump's opinion on Iran. | "France speaks for itself on Iran as a sovereign power," Le Drian stated. "France is deeply committed…
telesurenglish.net/news/France-Fires-Back-at-Trump-Over-Iran-Comments-20190809-0004.html

The War on Innocence: Palestinian Children in Israeli Military Court
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-09
On July 29, 4-year-old Muhammad Rabi' Elayyan was reportedly summoned for interrogation by the Israeli police in occupied Jerusalem. The news, originally reported by the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), was later denied by the Israeli police, likely to lessen the impact of the PR disaster that followed. The Israelis are not denying the story in…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/09/the-war-on-innocence-palestinian-children-in-israeli-military-court/

US and Turkey Collude to Steal Northern Syrian Territory
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
Troops of both countries illegally occupy northern Syrian territory bordering Turkey, including its oil rich area. | On the phony pretext of protecting Turkey's security, President Erdogan is intermittently battling Kurdish YPG fighters cross-border in Syria — despite their posing no …
globalresearch.ca/us-turkey-collude-steal-northern-syrian-territory/5686053

US vs. China: A Clash of Civilizations?
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
In promoting destructive "Western values," hardline academic Samuel Huntington once said the following: | "The West must exploit differences and conflicts among Confucian and Islamic states to support in other civilizations groups sympathetic to Western values and interests — to strengthen | …
globalresearch.ca/us-china-clash-civilizations/5686024

More than half a million Rohingya in Bangladesh get ID cards for first time: UN refugee agency
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-09
More than 500,000 Rohingya refugees who fled a brutal crackdown in Myanmar two years ago, have received identification cards that the UN insisted on Friday were critical to safeguarding their right to return home.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044041

Green turtles more likely to eat plastic that looks like their natural food
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-09
Hungry green turtles are being fooled by plastic that looks like their natural diet, new research suggests.The unsuspecting creatures are more likely to swallow plastics that resemble sea grass, potentially from sources like bin bags, and fragments of fishing rope and carrier bags.They strongly favour narrow lengths of the material in natural colours like green and black, rather than debris of other shapes and colours, a study has found.Scientists from the University of Exeter and the Society for the Protection of Turtles examined the guts of turtles found washed up on beaches in Cyprus. | All of the turtles whos…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2019/08/09/green-turtles-more-likely-to-eat-plastic-that-looks-like-their-natural-food/

Turkish and Greek Cypriot leaders ready for talks with UN chief on improved relations
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-09
Leaders of the Greek and Turkish parts of the divided island of Cyprus have agreed to meet with the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in order to "plan the way forward", and improve the daily lives of all Cypriots, a statement from the UN Mission in Cyprus, declared on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044051

Indo-Pakistani conflict sharpens with New Delhi's assault on Kashmir
wsws.org | 2019-08-09
In response to India's aggressive and patently illegal moves to tighten its control over disputed Kashmir, Pakistan has taken a raft of retaliatory measures and issued thinly-veiled war threats.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/09/kash-a09.html

Will India's Occupation of Kashmir Become Colonization?
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-09
Prof. Junaid Ahmad says India's revocation of Kashmir's autonomous status not only increases tensions between India and Pakistan, but is designed to lead into a situation where India encourages colonial settlement in the region and eventual annexation, along the lines of Israel's occupation of Palestinian land…
therealnews.com/stories/will-indias-occupation-of-kashmir-become-colonization

David Horowitz's Hate Group, Civil War and the White House
Jonah Raskin | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-09
"People are scared and frightened. The country is on the verge of a war between people of color and law enforcement, and the White House seems to be spurring it on." — Greg Sarris, Chairman the Federated Indians of the Graton Rancheria Last month, I wrote an article about the 1970s clandestine organization, the Weather Underground,…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/09/david-horowitzs-hate-group-civil-war-and-the-white-house/

How Israel's Erasure of Palestinian History Perpetuates Occupation
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-09
Prof. Ilan Pappe discusses why Israel's agency in charge of nuclear security hid documents about the Nakba, the catastrophe in which Palestinians were driven from their land in 1948, explaining that it was an effort to eliminate the Palestinian narrative…
therealnews.com/stories/how-israels-erasure-of-palestinian-history-perpetuates-occupation

Video: Syrian Army Makes Fresh Gains in Battle for Northern Hama
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
On the morning of August 7, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces advanced on positions of radical militants in northwestern Hama. During the day, units of the SAA and the Tiger Forces liberated the villages of Arbeen …
globalresearch.ca/video-army-makes-fresh-gains-battle-northern-hama/5685981

Pentagon Warns of Resurgence of ISIS in Syria and Iraq
Steven Sahiounie | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
A recent report issued by the U.S. Pentagon's Inspector General warns of conditions in Syria and Iraq which potentially could allow for ISIS to spread once again. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had not read the report but recalled the …
globalresearch.ca/pentagon-warns-resurgence-isis-syria-iraq/5686002

US Leaves INF Because of "Russia Violations," Now Encircles China with Offensive Missiles
Ulson Gunnar | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
We're told that the US withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty singed in 1987 between the US and Soviet Union was based on claims that Russia had violated it. | While we continue waiting for Washington to provide evidence …
globalresearch.ca/us-leaves-inf-because-russia-points-missiles-china/5685995

Neoliberalism Has Met Its Match in China. We're in a Trade and Currency War
Ellen Brown | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
When the Federal Reserve cut interest rates on July 31st for the first time in more than a decade, commentators were asking why. According to official data, the economy was rebounding, unemployment was below 4%, and GDP growth was …
globalresearch.ca/neoliberalism-met-match-china/5685992

Neoliberalism Has Met Its Match In China
Ellen Brown | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-09
Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (Andy Wong/AP) 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. …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/neoliberalism-has-met-its-match-in-china/

Will China Trigger Next Financial Tsunami?
F. William Engdahl | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
With the US decision to impose added tariffs on more than $300 billion of China trade, and the US Treasury declaring China a "currency manipulator", global financial markets have reacted with sharp selling. The question is whether this is the …
globalresearch.ca/will-china-trigger-next-financial-tsunami/5686006

Neoliberalism Has Met Its Match in China
Ellen Brown | commondreams.org | 2019-08-09
China thinks this is a better banking model than the private Western system focused on short-term profits for private shareholders. (Photo: Thomas Peter-Pool/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/china.png …
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/09/neoliberalism-has-met-its-match-china?cd-origin=rss

Mobility and Maginot Lines: China Hysteria Down Under
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
The blinkered security establishment is standard fare in politics. From Washington to Manila, we hear of terrors and concerns which tend to more spectral than not. Legitimate concerns such as catastrophic environmental failure, or a nuclear accident, are treated with …
globalresearch.ca/mobility-maginot-lines-china-hysteria-down-under/5685983

The Tragic Story of Jimmy Aldaoud, Deported From the Streets of Detroit to His Death in Iraq
Chris Gelardi | theintercept.com | 2019-08-09
Aldaoud was targeted as part of an ongoing ICE crackdown on Iraqi communities. His family and supporters say the agency bears responsibility for his death.
theintercept.com/2019/08/08/ice-deportation-iraq-jimmy-aldaoud/

Malaysia charges 17 Goldman Sachs figures over 1MDB scandal
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-09
Malaysian prosecutors have filed criminal charges against 17 more current and former directors at three Goldman Sachs subsidiaries over their role in the alleged multibillion-dollar ransacking of state investment fund 1MDB. | Malaysian and US prosecutors allege that bond sales organised by Goldman Sachs for 1MDB provided one of the means for associates of former Malaysian leader Najib Razak to steal billions over several years from a fund that was ostensibly set up to accelerate Malaysia's economic development. | The government filed criminal charges in December against Goldman Sachs and two former executives for…
thecanary.co/breaking-news/2019/08/09/malaysia-charges-17-goldman-sachs-figures-over-1mdb-scandal/

Crisis in Kyrgzyztan: Another Color Revolution or Even Civil War?
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
The historically unstable Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan was suddenly thrown into yet another crisis after the former president and his supporters opened fire on the special forces that were dispatched to serve a warrant for his arrest on corruption …
globalresearch.ca/will-kyrgz-crisis-lead-another-color-revolution-even-civil-war/5685994

The NYT's Pro-War Arguments Against War With Iran
Gregory Shupak | fair.org | 2019-08-09
by Gregory Shupak Once you're debating who ought to start a war, you've abandoned the anti-war argument (New York Times, 6/20/19). | The New York Times has published five editorials since the beginning of May that are ostensibly critical of a possible military war between the United States and Iran. As anti-war arguments, however, they are woefully lacking–vilifying Iran without subjecting the US to comparable scrutiny, and hiding US aggression towards Iran. | The editorials regurgitate the same anti-Iran demonology pro-war voi…
fair.org/home/the-nyts-pro-war-arguments-against-war-with-iran/

How Pervasive Is Saudi Penetration of Western Political Systems?
Padraig McGrath | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
When the Royal Marines seized the Iranian-owned Grace 1 supertanker off Gibraltar on July 4th, then British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt hailed the seizure as a sign that Iran had "no place to hide." On July 19th, when the Iranian …
globalresearch.ca/how-pervasive-saudi-penetration-western-political-systems/5685979

U.S. Imperialism, Iran and the Context for War
Margot Patterson | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-09
The Trump administration's efforts to collapse Iran's economy can't be divorced from the history of U.S. imperialism. If Americans remember the 1979 student takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the 444 days in which 52 U.S. diplomats and embassy staff were held hostage, Iranians remember the 1953 CIA coup that brought down the…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/09/u-s-imperialism-iran-and-the-context-for-war/

Nagasaki mayor hits out at nuclear powers on 74th anniversary of bombing
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-08-09
The mayor of Nagasaki has criticised nuclear states including the US and Russia as the city marked the 74th anniversary of the atomic bombing which ended the Second World War.Tomihisa Taue said nuclear powers are undermining the survivors' efforts towards building a nuclear-free world.The mayor lamented that the idea of "useful" nuclear weapons appears to be gaining traction.People attend a mass at the Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki to mark the 74th anniversary of the world's second atomic bomb attack (Kyodo/AP)He said both the US and Russia are returning to the development and deployment of nuclear weapons, as th…
thecanary.co/global/world-news/2019/08/09/nagasaki-mayor-hits-out-at-nuclear-powers-on-74th-anniversary-of-bombing/

FROM THE FIELD: Conversations about Conservation
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-09
Indigenous peoples in the Philippines are increasingly involved in the national conversation about protecting and conserving the South East Asian country's key biodiversity areas, thanks to support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044031

Defense Contractor Builds Lobbying Team With Firms Tied to Mueller Probe
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-09
| A Kuwaiti defense contractor that pleaded guilty to stealing U.S. government funds is assembling a team of lobbyists and foreign influence operatives from high-profile, and sometimes controversial, firms. | Agility Public Warehousing recently inked contracts with three firms to represent its interests through lobbying and foreign influence campaigns, the first time the Kuwaiti defense contractor has been listed as a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. All of the fi…
truthout.org/articles/defense-contractor-builds-lobbying-team-with-firms-tied-to-mueller-probe/

Embattled Kuwaiti defense contractor building foreign influence operation with firms tied to Mueller probe
Anna Massoglia | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-09
A Kuwaiti defense contractor that plead guilty to stealing U.S. government funds is assembling a team of lobbyists and foreign influence operatives from high-profile, and sometimes controversial, firms. Agility Public Warehousing recently inked contracts with three firms to represent its interests through lobbying and foreign influence campaigns, the first time the Kuwaiti defense contractor has …
nationofchange.org/2019/08/09/embattled-kuwaiti-defense-contractor-building-foreign-influence-operation-with-firms-tied-to-mueller-probe/

UN food aid to Yemen will fully resume after two-month break, as Houthis 'guarantee' delivery
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-09
Life-saving food aid distribution is set to resume to 850,000 people in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, following guarantees by Houthi opposition forces that the supplies will reach those who need them most, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1044011

A Cross Taken from a Nagasaki Cathedral after the Atomic Bombing Gets Returned 74 Years Later
Matt Field | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-09
Short on time and fuel, the crew members of the B-29 bomber Bockscar flew over Nagasaki, Japan, scanning for an opening in the clouds. They had already abandoned their initial target, the city of Kokura, due to low visibility. Over …
globalresearch.ca/cross-taken-nagasaki-cathedral-after-atomic-bombing-gets-returned-74-years-later/5686030

Rally To Stop Restarting of Japanese NUKE Plants, Defense Of Families-Children
No Nukes Action | indybay.org | 2019-08-09
San Francisco Japanese Consulate | 275 Battery St near California St. | San Francisco…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/08/18825297.php

Timorese hail Witness K and Bernard Collaery as 'heroes'
peter_b | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-09
The Movement Against the Occupation of the Timor Sea (MKOTT), a Timorese activist group based in Dili, condemned the Australian government on August 9 for its ongoing prosecution of Witness K and his lawyer Bernard Collaery, over the exposure of Australian secret service bugging of Timorese government offices, labelling it as an "attack on freedom of expression and democracy". | Timor-Leste is preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the referendum in 1999, when the Timorese people voted overwhelmingly to be independent of Indonesian occupation. On the same day (August 30), the governments of Timor-Leste an…
greenleft.org.au/content/timorese-hail-witness-k-and-bernard-collaery-heroes

The rebellion in Hong Kong is intensifying
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-09
Hong Kong's ongoing protests are a dramatic reminder that mass street demonstrations can defeat seemingly undefeatable legislation. | Last month, the million-strong marches forced the Hong Kong government to shelve its China extradition bill, which critics say would allow Beijing to muzzle dissident voices in the former British colony. Unsatisfied with mere suspension, protesters have demanded the bill's complete withdrawal and the…
greenleft.org.au/content/rebellion-hong-kong-intensifying

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/

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

Fordham U students win fight to have Palestine rights club
Sapphira Lurie | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-08
On Aug. 5, Justice Nancy Bannon of the Supreme Court of the State of New York annulled Fordham University's decision to ban Students for Justice in Palestine from its campus.
liberationnews.org/fordham-u-students-win-fight-to-have-palestine-rights-club/

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

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

Guterres appeals for 'maximum restraint' over Jammu and Kashmir, as tensions rise
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-08
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres appealed for 'maximum restraint' over the territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, which has been disputed by India and Pakistan, since the end of British rule in the late 1940s.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1043961

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

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