A dictatorial move: Trump blocks travel to Israel by two congresswomen
wsws.org | 2019-08-16
The intervention by the president to block travel by representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar is another blow against the US constitutional framework.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/16/pers-a16.html

Israel Fears a Visit by Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib
Yoav Litvin | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-16
On July 16, Somali-American Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, together with Representatives John Lewis and Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib, introduced bill HR-496 which is meant to affirm Americans' "right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad, as protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution". Though not explicitly mentioned, HR-496 is at least…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/16/israel-fears-a-visit-by-ilhan-omar-and-rashida-tlaib/

Tlaib Declines to Visit West Bank, Citing Israeli Conditions
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-16
Israel releases a letter purportedly signed by Rep. Tlaib, in which she promises not to advocate boycotts of Israel during her visit to her grandmother.
truthdig.com/articles/tlaib-declines-to-visit-west-bank-citing-israeli-conditions/

Citing 'oppressive conditions,' Rep. Tlaib signals she won't visit Israel after entry ban reversal
rt.com | 2019-08-16
US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) has indicated that she will not travel to Israel to visit relatives, after Tel Aviv reversed its earlier decision to deny her entry. The US lawmaker had requested that the ban be lifted. | …
rt.com/usa/466652-tlaib-israel-visit-grandmother/

Bernie Sanders: If Israel Bans Members of Congress, It Shouldn't Receive US Aid
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-16
| Sen. Bernie Sanders told MSNBC Thursday night that perhaps Israel should not be receiving billions of dollars in U.S. military aid after the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering the country. | "I wish I could tell you…that I am shocked. I am not," Sanders, a 2020 Demo…
truthout.org/articles/bernie-sanders-if-israel-bans-members-of-congress-it-shouldnt-receive-us-aid/

Israel bans Representatives Omar and Tlaib from entering Palestine
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-08-16
Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) have joined the ranks of thousands of human rights activists and millions of diaspora Palestinians who have been denied entry to Palestine by the occupying Israeli regime. | Reps. Omar and Tlaib had planned a congressional trip to the West Bank for next week, initially agreed to by the Israeli regime "out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America." However, on August 15 Israel announced a reversal of its previous decision and banned the delegation's entrance. | The announcement came…
www.fightbacknews.org/2019/8/15/israel-bans-representatives-omar-and-tlaib-entering-palestine

Democrats accuse Israel of implementing 'Trump's Muslim ban' over Omar-Tlaib block
rt.com | 2019-08-16
Rep. Ilhan Omar has accused Israel of implementing US President Donald Trump's "Muslim ban" by denying her entry, to cheers of Democrats happy to denounce Trump, but raised eyebrows from conservatives and Israelis. | …
rt.com/usa/466603-omar-israel-trump-muslim-ban/

Israel Reverses Ban on US Congresswoman Tlaib
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-16
Israel has decided to reverse the ban on U.S. congresswoman Rashida Tlaib Friday after she agreed to just visit her family in the occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds. | RELATED: | Israel Confirms Banning Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib from Visiting Palestine Over BDS Support | Tlaib, a critic of Israeli policy towards Palestinians, has agreed to respect the restrictions imposed on her during the occupied West Bank trip and will not promote the Boyco…
telesurenglish.net/news/Israel-Reverses-Ban-on-US-Congresswoman-Tlaib–20190816-0001.html

Trump Tweets, Then Netanyahu Bans Reps. Ilhan Omar & Rashida Tlaib From Israel
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-16
Jim Zogby and Phyllis Bennis discuss the Trump-Netanyahu dynamic, the diminishing power of AIPAC, and the political battle against Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib…
therealnews.com/stories/trump-tweets-then-netanyahu-bans-reps-ilhan-omar-rashida-tlaib-from-israel

Rashida Tlaib Blasts Israel for 'Oppressive Conditions'
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-16
U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib blasted Israel on Friday for imposing "oppressive conditions" on her visit to the occupied West Bank. | RELATED: | Israel Reverses Ban on US Congresswoman Tlaib | Israel, who was conditionally allowing Tlaib to visit the occupied West Bank, issued a list of demands for the U.S. congresswoman that prohibited her from promoting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) during her stay. | The U.S. congresswoman, in turn, said she would not visit her family there…
telesurenglish.net/english/bloggers/Rashida-Tlaib-Blasts-Israel-for-Oppressive-Conditions–20190816-0001.html

History often proceeds by jumps and zig-zags
Vijay Prashad | mronline.org | 2019-08-16
The main conflict here — since the 1940s — has been between India and Pakistan. Disagreements are deeply rooted in the political culture of each country. The rise of the far right in India has only inflamed the conflict further. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/08/16/history-often-proceeds-by-jumps-and-zig-zags/

Protest against police brutality to support the people of Hong Kong
N. Calif Hong Kong Club, ÂåóÂä Â∑ûȶôÊ∏ØÊúÉ | indybay.org | 2019-08-16
Embarcadero Plaza, Market St &, Steuart St, San Francisco…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/16/18825518.php

What's behind Hong Kong protests?
Sara Flounders | workers.org | 2019-08-16
The demonstrations in Hong Kong, now an open confrontation with the People's Republic of China, have a global impact. What are the forces behind this movement? What provides the funds and who stands to benefit? The increasingly violent demonstrations in Hong Kong are completely embraced and enthusiastically supported in the . . . | Continue reading What's behind Hong Kong protests? at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/08/16/whats-behind-hong-kong-protests/

With the Boeing 737 MAX Grounded, Top Boeing Bosses Must Testify Before Congress Now
Ralph Nader | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-16
Two Boeing 737 MAX crashes, one in Indonesia last October and one in Ethiopia this past March, took a combined 346 lives. Steady scrutiny by the media reported internal company leaks and gave voice to sidelined ex-Boeing engineers and aerospace safety specialists. These experts have revealed that Boeing's executives are responsible because they chose to use an unstable structural…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/16/with-the-boeing-737-max-grounded-top-boeing-bosses-must-testify-before-congress-now/

From Jerusalem, A Letter to Jared Kushner
Angela Godfrey-Goldstein | commondreams.org | 2019-08-16
President Donald Trump talks with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jared Kushner in Jerusalem, May 22, 2017. (Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/nety_0.jpeg …
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/16/jerusalem-letter-jared-kushner?cd-origin=rss

Bernie Sanders Fires Back at Netanyahu and Israel
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-16
In a new interview with MSNBC, the Vermont senator calls the decision to bar two U.S. congresswomen from entering the country an "outrage."
truthdig.com/articles/bernie-sanders-fires-back-at-netanyahu-and-israel/

Man in bulletproof vest and knife prompts road closure near Israel embassy in Washington
rt.com | 2019-08-16
A man armed with a knife and clad in a bulletproof vest has been taken into custody outside the Israeli Embassy in the US capital. His intentions were unclear, and the suspect has yet to be identified. | …
rt.com/usa/466670-man-knife-israel-embassy-washington/

Trump proposes buying Greenland
Jordan Davidson | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-16
peoplesworld.org/article/trump-proposes-buying-greenland/

As China masses troops on border, Trump calls for end to Hong Kong "problem"
wsws.org | 2019-08-16
The US president solidarised himself with his Chinese counterpart in the "tough business" of dealing with social unrest.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/16/hong-a16.html

Palestine: Dangerous Bill in US Congress to Crush the PLO and the PA
Zaha Hassan | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-16
A bipartisan US bill currently being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee puts at stake the ability of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to engage diplomatic and legal channels to support Palestinian national aspirations and to seek accountability through international …
globalresearch.ca/dangerous-bill-congress-crush-plo-pa/5686582

'Expanding Empire' — in 1969 and today
V. Copeland | workers.org | 2019-08-16
The following excerpt from "Expanding Empire — The global war drive of big business and the forces that will stop it" was written in 1969 during the Vietnam War. The author, Vince Copeland, was a founding member of Workers World Party and had been a militant steel worker fired in . . . | Continue reading 'Expanding Empire' — in 1969 and today at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/08/16/expanding-empire-in-1969-and-today/

What Explains Russia and China's Differing Stances towards Kashmir?
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-16
Russia and China, two of the most important Great Powers that are jointly working to accelerate the emergence of the Multipolar World Order, are on totally opposite sides when it comes to Kashmir, with their differing stances being explained by …
globalresearch.ca/russia-china-differing-stances-kashmir/5686499

Trump worsens threat of nuclear catastrophe with Russia
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-16
MIT professor Ted Postol warns that Trump's withdrawal from the INF treaty threatens nuclear 'catastrophe.' Guest: Theodore Postol, award-winning Professor…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/16/trump-worsens-threat-of-nuclear-catastrophe-with-russia/

Dead Man's Hand: The Impeachment Gambit
Jim Kavanagh | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-16
The two-year Mueller investigation of Donald Trump's alleged collusion ("largely synonymous with conspiracy") with Russia is over. Nothingburger. The 448-page Mueller Report has been published in full, and made into a dramatic hour-and-twenty-minute stage performance adapted by a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright with a cast of Hollywood stars. Yawn. Then there was the seven hours of…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/16/dead-mans-hand-the-impeachment-gambit/

South Yemen Is Already Functionally Independent Even if It's Not Recognized as Such
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-16
The Southern Transitional Council's liberation of the former South Yemeni capital of Aden from the Saudi-backed Islah Islamists has restored the independence of the Old Cold War-era country. | STC vs. Islah | It was bound to happen sooner than later, but | …
globalresearch.ca/south-yemen-functionally-independent-not-recognized/5686573

'Official Secrets' Reveals How Little We Still Know About the Push for War in Iraq
Martin Bright | thenation.com | 2019-08-16
'Official Secrets' Reveals How Little We Still Know About the Push for War in Iraq…
thenation.com/article/official-secrets-iraq-film/

George W. Bush's Infuriating Innocence Project
Robert Shetterly | commondreams.org | 2019-08-16
US President George Bush addresses the nation during his State of the Union address from Capitol Hill in Washington 20 January 2004. Bush vowed that the United States "will never seek a permission slip" to go to war as he took aim in his annual State of the Union speech at critics of the invasion of Iraq. At left is Vice President Dick Cheney; at right House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-IL. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/george_w_bush_war_criminal.jpg …
commondreams.org/views/2019/08/16/george-w-bushs-infuriating-innocence-project?cd-origin=rss

The Microplastic Threat
Meena Miriam Yust, Arshad Khan | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-16
When Chelsea Rochman at the University of Toronto and colleagues began their study on medakas (small Japanese rice paddy fish), they did not expect to find what they did. They first soaked ground-up polyethylene in San Diego Bay for three months and then fed it to these fish along with a laboratory diet. They also fed the…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/16/the-microplastic-threat/

A Wave of Solidarity With Kashmir Is Spreading Across the Globe
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-08-16
| Tragedy is unfolding in Kashmir. Split between India and Pakistan, the state has been under military occupation as a result of the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 and a war between the two powers the following year. On August 5, however, the right-wing Bha…
truthout.org/articles/a-wave-of-solidarity-with-kashmir-is-spreading-across-the-globe/

The War on Nature
Evaggelos Vallianatos | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-16
Ancient Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Chinese and Indians respected or worshipped several gods. Those gods were usually forces of nature, which opened the mind, eyes and hearts of human beings to the mysteries, beauty and truth of the natural world. The vast human majorities of the ancient world were peasant farmers and shepherds who cultivated…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/16/the-war-on-nature/

The Plot to Attack Iran:‚Ä® How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Iran
Eugene E Ruyle | indybay.org | 2019-08-16
NPML, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland (just North of Alcatraz Ave.)…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/15/18825506.php

Iran's Dangerous Deterrence Policy: Trading Tankers and Another Partial Withdrawal from the JCPOA
Elijah J. Magnier | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-16
The UK acknowledged its first defeat by Iran when it released the Iranian super tanker "Grace 1" captured by 30 Royal Navy commandos in the first week of July in response to a US request, as the Spanish Foreign …
globalresearch.ca/iran-dangerous-deterrence-policy-trading-tankers-partial-withdrawal-jcpoa/5686590

Iran tanker released in Gibraltar despite US bid to seize it
wsws.org | 2019-08-16
The decision to release the tanker, formally declared by Gibraltar, but clearly made in London, exposes rising tensions over Washington's "maximum pressure" policy.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/16/iran-a16.html

Refusing to Be Humiliated, Rashida Tlaib Rejects Israel's Restrictive Conditions on Visiting Palestine
Eoin Higgins, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-16
"What Israel proposed to Rashida Tlaib was their age-old proposition: you can stay in your homeland as a humanitarian exception—without political rights—and on condition you surrender and cease to resist." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/rashida_tlaib_4.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/16/refusing-be-humiliated-rashida-tlaib-rejects-israels-restrictive-conditions-visiting?cd-origin=rss

Sanders Says If Israel Wants to Ban Members of Congress, It Should Not Receive Billions in US Military Aid
Jake Johnson, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-16
"The idea that a member of the United States Congress cannot visit a nation which, by the way, we support to the tune of billions and billions of dollars is clearly an outrage." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_sanders_16.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/16/sanders-says-if-israel-wants-ban-members-congress-it-should-not-receive-billions-us?cd-origin=rss

Trump Administration Advances Massive Arms Sale to Taiwan Amid Tensions With Beijing
Andrea Germanos, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-08-16
The new potential sale reportedly includes dozens of F-16 fighter jets | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/taiwan-trump-f16s.jpg …
commondreams.org/news/2019/08/16/trump-administration-advances-massive-arms-sale-taiwan-amid-tensions-beijing?cd-origin=rss

What Is Israel Trying to Hide? Reps. Tlaib & Omar Blocked from Taking Official Trip to West Bank
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-08-16
Israel sparked outrage Thursday when it banned two freshman Democratic congresswomen of color — Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — from entering the country. Following outcry from Democratic leaders and Palestinians, Israel granted permission for Tlaib to enter the country on "humanitarian" grounds to visit her family in the West Bank — though Tlaib said Friday she will not visit her family under such conditions. Israel originally denied entrance to Tlaib and Omar after President Donald Trump tweeted, "It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tl…
www.democracynow.org/2019/8/16/ilhan_omar_rashida_tlaib_israel_trump

Toni Morrison: The remarkable life of a remarkable woman
greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-16
greenleft.org.au/content/toni-morrison-remarkable-life-remarkable-woman

India turns Kashmir into a giant prison
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-16
Susan PriceIssue 1233 Kashmir 2019 Indian occupation of KashmirThe left in India and Pakistan is united in opposing the decision by Narendra Modi's BJP government on August 5 to unilaterally revoke Kashmir's autonomy, send in troops, impose a curfew and shut down all communications. | Pakistan's Awami Workers' Party spokes…
greenleft.org.au/content/india-turns-kashmir-giant-prison

Solidarity shown with Kashmir
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-16
self-determination Peter BoyleIssue 1233 Australia India Kashmir military curfewActi…
greenleft.org.au/content/solidarity-shown-kashmir

Rojava an example of ecosocialism
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-08-16
Make Rojava Green AgainIssue 1233 Northern Syria Rojava revolution ecosocialismIn 2011, in the context of the Arab Spring, a civil war began in Syria, pitting various armed groups against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. | Rapidly, a Kurdish-majorit…
greenleft.org.au/content/rojava-example-ecosocialism

For Years, Reporters Questioned the Terror Prosecution of Hamid Hayat. Now He's Been Freed
Trevor Aaronson | theintercept.com | 2019-08-16
After spending 14 years in prison on charges that he attended a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, Hamid Hayat was freed on August 9 following a California judge's decision to overturn the conviction. | From the start, Hayat's case had been controversial. | The government's star witness, Naseem Khan, was a fast-food worker earning $7 per hour before the FBI enlisted him as an informant and paid him nearly $230,000 over three years. Khan came to the FBI's attention about a month after the September 11 terrorist attacks by claiming to have information about a visit to the United States by Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama…
theintercept.com/2019/08/16/terrorism-september-11-prosecution/

Reps Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar Banned from Israel
commondreams.org | 2019-08-15
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/15/reps-rashida-tlaib-and-ilhan-omar-banned-israel?cd-origin=rss

This Is a New Low
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2019-08-15
This Is a New Low…
thenation.com/article/trump-tlaib-omar-israel/

As Warren and Sanders Swiftly Condemned Israel for Barring Congresswomen, Pelosi and Biden Hesitated
Robert Mackey | theintercept.com | 2019-08-15
Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders were quick to criticize Israel for blocking Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar. Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden took more time.
theintercept.com/2019/08/15/israel-omar-tlaib-trump-netanyahu/

End endless conflict and bring peace to Korea
Jesse Jackson | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-15
July 27 marked the 66th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice, which brought an end to hostilities that killed nearly five million people, including almost 40,000 U.S. service members. The war ended in a temporary cease-fire, which is why the United States still maintains 28,500 troops in South Korea. Nuclear missiles ring the …
peoplesworld.org/article/end-endless-conflict-and-bring-peace-to-korea/

Top scientist denounces smears of Tulsi Gabbard on Syria
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-15
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been smeared as an Assad apologist for her efforts to end the US-backed proxy war and…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/15/top-scientist-denounces-smears-of-tulsi-gabbard-on-syria/

Philippines: Dengue Deaths Keep Rising After Epidemic Declared
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-15
The Philippines is getting hit hard by the increase in dengue hitting many parts of the tropical world this year as the Department of Health (DOH) announced this week it has registered 167,607 cases of the mosquito-transmitted disease since January alone. Some 720 residents have died during the same time frame. | RELATED: | Honduras Fights Dengue Virus as it Reaches Epidemic Proportions | Last week, the government declared a national epidemic after there was a 98 percent increase i…
telesurenglish.net/news/Philippines-Dengue-Deaths-Keep-Rising-After-Epidemic-Declared-20190815-0020.html

Common Cause Lauds Court's Decision in Historic Georgia Election Security Case
commondreams.org | 2019-08-15
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commondreams.org/newswire/2019/08/15/common-cause-lauds-courts-decision-historic-georgia-election-security-case?cd-origin=rss

Taliban claim breakthrough in Afghanistan talks, US commander says operations continue
wsws.org | 2019-08-15
Trump is reportedly pushing for a withdrawal of US troops before the 2020 election, while leading Republicans are pressing for a "residual force" of special forces and CIA.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/15/afgh-a15.html