2019-08-23: News Headlines

Staff (2019-08-23). Bolivian Mine Workers Strike Against one of World's Largest Mining Corporations. therealnews.com The Japanese Sumitomo corporation runs one of the world's largest zinc, copper, and lead mines in Bolivia, where it has been denying workers overtime pay, despite a court order to pay them. We talk to the mine workers' union president, Henry Cayo…

Staff (2019-08-23). Trump Never Had a Grand Strategy for China. truthdig.com President Trump has delayed the new tariffs he threatened to impose on Chinese imports in the early fall, and exempted some other Chinese imports altogether. The de-escalation of the Sino-U.S. trade war is especially welcome, given the markets' renewed concerns about impending recession. Also striking was the president's tacit acknowledgment that the tariffs threatened to harm the Am…

RT (2019-08-23). 'Who is our bigger enemy?': Trump lashes out, compares Fed chairman Powell to Chinese President Xi. rt.com President Donald Trump has lashed out at the Federal Reserve chairman, after Jay Powell refused to cut interest rates to Trump's liking, a move that would have given the president ammunition to escalate his trade war with China. | "As usual, the Fed did NOTHING!" Trump tweeted on Friday, after Powell announced that he would "sustain the expansion" of the US economy, but not by slashing interest rates by a whole percentage point, as Trump has repeatedly called for. Instead, Powell is likely to lower rates by around a quarter of a percentage point, from their current level of 2.25 percent. | Also on rt.com

L. Michael Hager (2019-08-23). What Netanyahu's Travel Ban Has Revealed. counterpunch.org Until a few weeks ago America's unqualified support for Israel was solidly bipartisan. Aided by media bias and reporter reluctance to address on-the-ground realities, AIPAC and its affiliates had the public relations space virtually to themselves. Reinforced by mainstream media, the "Exodus" narrative captured and retained popular sympathy, while U.S. policymakers began to regard Israel More

Ramzy Baroud (2019-08-23). Jewish Settlers Rule the Roost in Israel, But at What Price? counterpunch.org Israeli Jewish settlers are on a rampage in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. While settler violence is part of everyday routine in Palestine, the violence of recent weeks is directly linked to the general elections in Israel, scheduled to be held on September 17. The previous elections, on April 9, failed to bring about political More

RT (2019-08-23). More Russiagate unraveling? Ex-CEO says FBI instructed him to have relationship with Maria Butina. rt.com Former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne has told media that he was ordered by the FBI to initiate a romantic relationship with imprisoned Russian gun activist Maria Butina, seemingly confirming claims made by her lawyer. | Byrne, who resigned from the online retail company on Thursday, explained to CNN's Chris Cuomo that he had been asked by the FBI — on the orders of then-director James Comey — to "rekindle a romantic relationship" with Butina. | Taken aback by the claim, Cuomo interjected: "You believe that Jim Comey knew that you were being asked to do these things in the name of the United States gove…

RT (2019-08-23). More Russiagate unraveling? Ex-CEO says FBI instructed him to have relationship with Maria Butina. rt.com Former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne has told media that he was ordered by the FBI to initiate a romantic relationship with imprisoned Russian gun activist Maria Butina, seemingly confirming claims made by her lawyer. | Byrne, who resigned from the online retail company on Thursday, explained to CNN's Chris Cuomo that he had been asked by the FBI — on the orders of then-director James Comey — to "rekindle a romantic relationship" with Butina. | Taken aback by the claim, Cuomo interjected: "You believe that Jim Comey knew that you were being asked to do these things in the name of the United States gove…

Michael Laxer (2019-08-23). Canada: Trudeau government has money for pipelines, but not for indigenous housing. peoplesworld.org TORONTO—On Aug. 2, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a trip to Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, for a photo-op during which he laid out his government's alleged commitment to building new housing in the northern territory. Nunavut is in the midst of a severe and worsening housing crisis with Premier Joe Savikataaq saying in …

Paul Haeder (2019-08-23). One Woman's Research on Aquatic Bioinvasions, Seaweed, Wave Energy. dissidentvoice.org Symbioses — prolonged associations between organisms often widely separated phylogenetically — are more common in biology than we once thought and have been neglected as a phenomenon worthy of study on its own merits. Extending along a dynamic continuum from antagonistic to cooperative and often involving elements of both antagonism and mutualism, symbioses involve pathogens, …

Michaela Malone (2019-08-23). San Diego joins Philippine National Day of Mourning and Action. liberationnews.org On Aug. 21, the Philippine National Day of Mourning and Action, the Party for Socialism and Liberation San Diego co-hosted an action in an effort to end U.S. funding to Rodrigo Duterte's military in the Philippines.

RT (2019-08-23). WATCH: Plane cabin fills with smoke moments before emergency landing. rt.com Horrified passengers of Hawaiian Airlines were lucky to escape disaster after their cabin filled with smoke during a flight to Honolulu on Thursday. Their plane made an emergency landing before the crew evacuated all on board. | Seven passengers, five adults and two children, were hospitalized after suffering "smoke-related symptoms," the airline said in a statement. | Also on rt.com | | Watch Swiss fighter jets shadow Russian GOVERNMENT PLANE as 'act of hospitality' | Smoke began filling the cabin 20 minutes before the flight from Oakland, California lan…

RT (2019-08-23). 'Provocative' post-INF missile test serves US neocon goal to stop détente with Russia. rt.com The decision by the United States to test a cruise missile banned under the now-expired INF treaty was a provocative move that delights neocons who oppose rapprochement between the US and Russia, analysts told RT. | Less than a month after pulling out of the INF arms control treaty, the US military tested a ground-launched Tomahawk cruise missile previously prohibited under the agreement. | Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow would "take exhaustive measures to prepare a symmetrical response" to the test, while stressing that it is not aiming to ignite a new arms race. | Also on rt.com

RT (2019-08-23). 'Crime does pay': CNN hires disgraced ex-FBI director Andrew McCabe. rt.com What does one get for leaking to the media, lying to federal investigators about it, and allegedly participating in a plot to derail an American election? If you answered jail time, too bad. The correct answer is a job at CNN.

Staff (2019-08-23). Putin Orders Russia to Respond After U.S. Missile Test. truthdig.com MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military on Friday to work out a quid pro quo response after the test of a new U.S. missile banned under a now-defunct arms treaty. | In Sunday's test, a modified ground-launched version of a U.S. Navy Tomahawk cruise missile accurately struck its target more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) away. The test came after Moscow and Washington withdrew from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. | Speaking at a meeting of his Security Council, Putin charged that the U.S. waged a "propaganda campaign" alleging Russian breaches of the pact to "

Tariq Ali (2019-08-23). Kashmir on the edge of the abyss. mronline.org Tariq Ali on the situation in Kashmir. | Source

teleSUR (2019-08-23). Six European Countries to Receive 356 Migrants Rescued at Sea. telesurenglish.net The Government of Malta confirmed Friday that Germany, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Romania will host 356 migrants on board the Ocean Viking, a Norwegian-flagged rescue vessel chartered by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and SOS Méditerranée. | RELATED: | Italy: Officials Finally Allow 'Open Arms' Migrants to Land | " [We] welcome [the fact] t…

Prof. Vijay Prashad (2019-08-23). World Watching the Fate of Iranian Tanker. globalresearch.ca At 11: 30pm on Sunday, August 18, the Iranian tanker Adrian Darya-1 left the shores of Gibraltar at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea. This ship had been detained about six weeks previous by British Royal Marines and Gibraltar officials. The …

Fight Back (2019-08-23). Activists demand Minnesota divest from border militarization contractor. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – On August 22, immigrant rights and Palestine solidarity activists presented over 1000 signatures of Minnesota residents petitioning the State Board of Investments (SBI) to divest state pension funds from the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems. Elbit sells cluster bombs and weaponized white phosphorus to the Israel Defense Forces, whose indiscriminate use on besieged Gaza has been widely condemned by international organizations. Elbit also manufactures surveillance equipment for the Israeli apartheid wall, and drones used in targeted assassinations of Palestinian political leaders. | Advertisi…

Amy Goodman (2019-08-23). 2020 candidates address historical trauma, missing indigenous women & more at Native American forum. nationofchange.org Following this week's historic Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, Iowa, we speak with Mark Trahant, editor of Indian Country Today and moderator of the Native American voter forum; Christine Nobiss, director of Seeding Sovereignty's SHIFT project; and Mark Charles, independent candidate for president, Native American activist and writer. They respond to the candidates' …

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2019-08-23). Trump Fine-tunes Peace Deal with Taliban. globalresearch.ca The US President Donald Trump's remarks at the Oval Office in the White House on August 20 regarding the Afghan peace talks and related issues exuded an overall sense of satisfaction that the "endless war" is finally ending —although …

teleSUR, TR (2019-08-23). Youtube Bans 210 Pro-Beijing Channels Posting About Hong Kong. telesurenglish.net YouTube's parent company, Google, announced Thursday that they had disabled 210 channels engaged in posting pro-Beijing content related to Hong Kong's protests. | By doing so, Google joins Facebook and Twitter, which also informed Monday that hundreds of thousands of accounts were deleted from their platforms for similar reasons. Twitter published a statement in which first line they imply that state-backed information was some sort of a crime. | According to Twitter's version this accounts were…

Philip Giraldi (2019-08-23). Why a Defense Agreement with Israel Would be a Disaster for Americans. Lindsey Graham's Blank Check. globalresearch.ca Two world wars began because of unconditional pledges made by one country to come to assistance of another. On July 5, 1914, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany pledged his country's complete support for whatever response Austria-Hungary would choose to make …

Stephen Lendman (2019-08-23). Trump Regime Threatens Illegal Sanctions on Nations Legally Buying Iranian Oil. globalresearch.ca The US under both extremist right wings of its war party is a rogue state by any definition. | It operates extrajudicially at home and abroad. It's increasingly repressive and totalitarian, heading toward full-blown tyranny if the present trend continues unchecked….

Miri Wood (2019-08-23). Syria's SDF's Child Soldiers. globalresearch.ca In Syria news briefs today, two children were injured in another landmine blast; a child fleeing from US 'SDF' criminal militia was shot to death; Reconciliation continues; an increase in olive production is expected. | Two children were injured …

Ahmad Al Khaled (2019-08-23). Syrian Terrorists Cannot Hold Northern Hama Pocket for Long Time. globalresearch.ca The Syrian army has managed to make significant progress in clashes with "opposition" groups in Northwestern Syria, taking the strategically important city of Khan Sheikhoun. The SAA also cut the highway located to the North from the city, blocking supply …

South Front (2019-08-23). Video: Khan Shaykhun Liberated, Northern Hama Pocket — Next. globalresearch.ca On August 21, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces liberated the town of Khan Shaykhun and the areas of Khazanat and Tal Taeri, thus fully encircling remaining militants in northern Hama. | The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham strong points …

WSWS (2019-08-23). US escalates preparations for nuclear war with Russia and China. wsws.org After withdrawing from the INF treaty, the US is accelerating its preparations to fight a nuclear war with China or Russia by testing and stockpiling dangerous new weapons in a nuclear arms race.

Andrew Korybko (2019-08-23). "New Detente" Between Russia and The West? Impacts on the Russia-China Strategic Partnership. globalresearch.ca Macron's Mediation | The dynamics of the New Cold War might undergo a dramatic transformation if the geopolitical game-changer of a "New Detente" between Russia and the West succeeds, which is becoming increasingly possible as proven by recent events. | President Putin's …

Staff (2019-08-23). Western Militaries Are Using Virtual Reality for Propaganda and Recruitment. truthout.org | | Virtual reality (VR) is the future of propaganda. It's also the present of propaganda: In China, members of the Zhongshan Communist Party are already being supplied with VR headsets by Xijian, one of the country's biggest augmented reality startups. Thanks to these headsets, users can experience the "Guidelines of the Chinese Communist Party" in three dimensions and with animated…

teleSUR (2019-08-23). China Imposes New Tariffs on US Imports, Trump Hits Back. telesurenglish.net The Chinese Ministry of Commerce says that its new tariffs will be applied to more than 5,000 U.S. products in two phases. The first stage would come into effect on September 1 and the second one on December 15. | RELATED: | China announced that it will impose additional tariffs worth 75,000 million dollars on imported products from the United States following the measure recently taken by President Donald Trump against the China's customs fees. | "These additional tariffs will evolve in a range of between 5 and 10 percent and will be applied to 5,078 US products in two phases. The first from September 1 and…

Tom Clifford (2019-08-23). What China's Leadership is Really Worried About: Rising Debt. counterpunch.org Beijing. The resort town of Beidaihe has just held one of the world's most important, and secretive, political gatherings. Members of the public flock there in the summer months to relax on the beach gently lapped by the shallow waters of the Yellow Sea. But far from the madding crowd, the resort, 200 km north More

WSWS (2019-08-23). Australia joins US naval operation against Iran, foreshadows involvement in South China Sea. wsws.org Sixteen years after the Iraq war, US imperialism has plans for even more catastrophic crimes—against both Iran and China.

Andrew Korybko (2019-08-23). Kashmir and the US-Russia Power Play in South Asia. globalresearch.ca Russia is reluctant to jeopardize its ultra-profitable arms relationship with India by strategically "balancing" South Asia, which is why the US decided to play this irreplaceable role instead by actively seeking to cut deals in both Afghanistan and Kashmir since …

Miriam Deprez (2019-08-23). Israel's Online Occupation of Palestine. progressive.org How a Facebook post can land you in prison.

Andrew Emett (2019-08-23). Deputy resigns after charged with shooting unarmed woman and lying to investigators. nationofchange.org Recorded on police dashcam video shooting an unarmed woman in the groin, a Florida sheriff's deputy was indicted Wednesday on charges that he used unreasonable force by shooting an unarmed woman and misleading state investigators about the circumstances of his actions. Immediately after the federal charges were announced, the deputy resigned from the department. On …

Palestine Legal (2019-08-23). Palestine Legal comments on California's ethnic studies model curriculum. indybay.org Palestine Legal has submitted the following public comment on California's 2020 Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum:…

WSWS (2019-08-23). Bangladesh: Thousands of families homeless after fire destroys Dhaka shanty homes. wsws.org The disaster highlights the grim situation facing millions of poor people struggling to survive in megacities around the world.

WSWS (2019-08-23). German defence minister visits troops in Jordan and Iraq. wsws.org The message of Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was the same everywhere: The German army should continue and even expand its operations in the resource-rich Middle East.

Nyla Ali Khan (2019-08-23). Kashmir: Decentralize Power and Revive Regional Political Institutions. counterpunch.org Introduction As the decade of the 1990s dawned, the politicial, cultural and socioeconomic fabric of Kashmir was severely impaired by the free rein given to Indian military and paramilitary forces to quell dissidence, and also by Pakistan-trained militants who, in a no holds barred conflict, inflicted atrocities on their co-religionists as well. New Delhi hadn't More

Florian Zollmann (2019-08-23). Double Standards in Iran Reporting. indybay.org Iran has not attacked any country militarily in the last 100 years. This is mostly unmentioned in the media. Demonizations occur in the Iran reporting. In comparison, reporting about human rights in Saudi Arabia is not on the agenda.

Iranian Students Association in America (2019-08-23). Seven Whispers of the White Dove. indybay.org Hertz Hall | 101 Cross-Sproul Path | University of California | Berkeley, CA 94720…

Jordan Davidson (2019-08-23). Hidden Trump report reveals water plan will harm endangered whales and salmon. nationofchange.org It's become a familiar story with the Trump administration: Scientists write a report that shows the administration's policies will cause environmental damage, then the administration buries the report and fires the scientists. The latest chapter in that book happened this summer in California when federal officials suppressed a scientific report that warned that the administration's plans to …

WSWS (2019-08-23). Bill Frisell speaks with WSWS: "Music is like a teacher who opens your eyes to many things" wsws.org Virtuoso jazz guitarist Bill Frisell discussed some of the conceptions underpinning his musical approach and his forthcoming album during the Australian leg of his recent Asian tour.

pip.hinman (2019-08-23). No Australian military to Strait of Hormuz. greenleft.org.au Australian imperialism Kerrie SmithIssue 1234 Australia Iran Strait of Hormuz Coalition of the WillingThe federal Coalition gov…

pip.hinman (2019-08-23). Solidarity with Kashmir. greenleft.org.au self-determination Alex BainbridgeIssue 1234 Australia Kashmir solidarity India crackdown. BJP Modi governmentSpeakers at a 100-strong solidarity rally in Brisbane o…

Yuri Veselov (2019-08-23). The War on Libya, US-Turkey Power Play? Marshal Haftar vs Recep Erdogan. globalresearch.ca Marshal Haftar made this statement when speaking at the LNA TV channel from Benghazi for the first time after a long break. | "The Libyan National Army will defeat any plot to build foreign bases that support and finance terrorism in …

Manlio Dinucci (2019-08-23). Video: Under the "Shield", US Nuclear Weapons in Europe. globalresearch.ca The NATO missile site at Deveselu in Romania (photo), which is part of the US Aegis "defence missiles" system, has finished its "update", begun last April. NATO's communique assures that it has added "no offensive capacity to the system", which …

Joyce Chediac (2019-08-23). Interview: Lebanese solidarity with Palestinian refugees. liberationnews.org "For the first time in Lebanon, and possibly in any Arab country, banners supporting the rights of Palestinian refugees were carried along with queer and trans flags."

Staff (2019-08-23). Sen. Merkley on the Dangers of a New Nuclear Arms Race & Why He Backs the Green New Deal. democracynow.org Fallout from the Trump administration's decision to pull out of the landmark 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is mounting. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to prepare for what he called a "symmetrical response" after the U.S. tested what it said was a nonnuclear cruise missile earlier this week. The U.S. launch was the first test of its kind since the Trump administration withdrew from the INF. We speak to Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon about U.S. nuclear policy, as well as the Green New Deal, President Trump's wish to buy Greenland and more.

Staff (2019-08-23). Headlines for August 23, 2019. democracynow.org U.N. Calls for Protection of the Amazon as Rainforest Burns at Record Pace, Indigenous Communities Say Brazil's President Is Encouraging Destruction of Forests, Bernie Sanders Unveils Ambitious Green New Deal to Avert Climate Catastrophe, Democratic Leaders Reject Resolution Calling for Candidate Climate Debate, French Authorities to Crack Down on Protest as 13,000 Police Mobilize for G7 Summit, Syrian Forces Encircle Last Major Rebel-Held Stronghold in Hama Province, U.N.: Burmese Troops Had "Genocidal Intent" in Targeting Rohingya for Sexual Violence, Indonesia Deploys Troops to Quell Independence Protests in W…