2019-09-20: News Headlines

Robert Scheer (2019-09-20). America Keeps Getting China All Wrong. truthdig.com For decades, China has been an enigmatic foe and friend to the United States. From trade to immigration, the two international giants have been linked in inextricable ways in recent years. With Donald Trump's current trade war with China and the Hong Kong protests hitting headlines, Americans are once again thinking about the Chinese in a more nuanced way. Yet there is still a lot of misinformation about the Asian nation circulating at all levels of American society, including within the Trump administrat…

Fred Goldstein (2019-09-20). Hong Kong: Make colonialism great again. workers.org Posted to lowwagecapitalism.com on Sept. 11, 2019. Sept. 10 — It is a thoroughly reactionary development when demonstrators carrying U.S. flags march through a city asking the most hated imperialist figure, Donald Trump, to come to their aid. But that is what is happening in Hong Kong. Despite all the . . . | Continue reading Hong Kong: Make colonialism great again at Workers.org

Ismael Hossein-Zadeh (2019-09-20). Unipolar Governance of the Multipolar World. counterpunch.org The emergence in recent years of the economic and military powers in countries like China, Russia and India has given rise to theories and hopes of a multipolar world that could temper the heavy-handed unilateral/unipolar policies of the United States on a global level. Such hopes are further buoyed by the fact that these rising poles of economic development have instituted a number of regional international organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the China-sponsored Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and the Eurasian Economic Union that incorporates Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzsta…

Robert J. Burrowes (2019-09-20). The Struggle for Peace in Afghanistan: Is Community Engagement the Key? dissidentvoice.org I have just read a superb book by Mark Isaacs, an Australian who has documented several years of effort by a group of incredibly committed young people in Afghanistan to build peace in that war-torn country the only way it can be built: by learning, living and sharing peace. The book, titled The Kabul Peace …

Kasia Anderson (2019-09-20). Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Refuses to Be 'Gaslit' by The New York Times. truthdig.com By now, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has gone through more full-on political attacks than President Trump has gone through cabinet members. | Fox News' abuse of power, and of Ocasio-Cortez, comes as no surprise, given the Murdochian media complex's total commitment to making sure their audience sees Ocasio-Cortez and her peers — specifically, congressional "Squad"-mates Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley — as the socialist enemies of (white) America that President Trump insists they are. But a perhaps more remar…

WSWS (2019-09-20). Julian Assange: The great unmentionable as Australian leader wines and dines with Trump. wsws.org Were Assange imprisoned by the Chinese, Russian or Iranian regimes, the response of the Australian government would doubtless be very different.

Staff (2019-09-20). US Denies Visa to Afghan Teen Invited to First-Ever UN Youth Climate Summit. truthout.org | | Climate youth activist Nasratullah Elham of Afghanistan was invited to participate in the first-ever U.N. Youth Climate Summit, but the United States rejected his visa. He breaks the sound barrier to join us from Phuket, Thailand, where he is a 12th grade student, and says his activism is based on the crisis's impact on his home country. "The poor people there are very badly affected in a situation [where] they do not really have much carbon emissions," he says. | TRANSCRIPT: | AMY…

United Nations (2019-09-20). 'Collective' erosion of two-State solution, continues unabated: Mladenov. un.org The "steady deterioration" of chances that a lasting peace can be negotiated between Israel and Palestine as two States live side by side, reflects a "collective failure" of leadership across the region and the world.

United Nations (2019-09-20). Friday's Daily Brief: World youth call for climate action and peace, record food needs met in Yemen, exclusive sit down with UN chief. un.org A recap of Friday's top stories: Climate emergency threatening peace progress; Guterres urges States bring concrete answers to GA; Migrant shooting in Libya signals danger; Xenophobia attacks rise in South Africa; Record number get UN food aid in Libya.

teleSUR (2019-09-20). Thousands Join World Climate Strike as UN Summit Approaches. telesurenglish.net Thousands of people from all over the world took to the streets to join the "Third World Climate Strike" on September 20, a protest triggered by the Fridays for The Future (FFF) movement, which demands from governments concrete actions to resolve the ongoing environmental emergency generated by increased global warming. | RELATED: | Brazil Will Not Take The Floor At The UN Climate Summit | In Europe, Asia, Africa and Noth America, hundreds of environmental, social, labor and human rig…

Mark Fiore (2019-09-20). How To Get The U.S. To Care About The War In Yemen. progressive.org "Over 85,000 children dead from war and starvation in Yemen. And now you may pay more at the pump!"

Hiroyuki Hamada (2019-09-20). In Defense of Cory Morningstar's Manufacturing for Consent Series. dissidentvoice.org Good investigative journalism doesn't only reveal hidden mechanisms of our time; it also exposes those who refuse to confront the mechanisms. Remember when the late Bruce Dixon courageously and cogently called Bernie Sanders "a sheep dog candidate"? Remember when Eva Bertlett, Vanessa Beeley and others truly stood with Syrian people in opposing the western intervention? …

Ramzy Baroud (2019-09-20). Apartheid Made Official: Deal of the Century is a Ploy and Annexation is the New Reality. counterpunch.org Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is moving quickly to alter the political reality in Palestine, and facing little or no resistance. On September 10, Netanyahu declared his intentions to annex swathes of Palestinian land adjacent to the Jordan River, an area that covers 2,400 square kilometers, or nearly a third of the Occupied West Bank. More

Alexander Rubinstein (2019-09-20). Using Forged Emails, "Progressive" Journalists Smear Their Own for Challenging Syria Groupthink. mintpressnews.com Behind the campaign to silence these three critical, anti-war journalists was the same cast of characters that have become notorious in progressive circles for the viciousness of their attacks against anyone willing to come out against regime change in Syria.

Richard Falk (2019-09-20). Burning Amazonia, Denying Climate Change, Devastating Syria, Starving Yemen, Ignoring Kashmir. globalresearch.ca The World Order Backdrop | Arguably, even before the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, there was a widespread sense that a state-centric form of world order was morally and functionally deficient in certain fundamental respects. Political actors were indifferent to …

21st Century Wire (2019-09-20). New Reports of 'Saudi and Israeli Airstrikes' on Syria-Iraq Border Only Heighten Concerns of Wider War. globalresearch.ca The United States is discussing with Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies about possible responses to Saudi Aramco oil facility attack. What is not being aired are any discussions between Washington and Israel on the matter. US Secretary of …

South Front (2019-09-20). Video: Greater Idlib: Is Syrian Army Advance Inevitable? globalresearch.ca After over 8 years of war, the province of Idlib and its surrounding areas remain the key stronghold of radical militant groups in Syria. Over the past years, anti-government armed groups suffered a series of defeats across the country and …

Staff (2019-09-20). Global Climate Action's Biggest Obstacle Is US Foreign Policy. truthout.org | | The climate crisis and war are both international problems that cross borders and threaten the future of humanity. The melting of glaciers in Greenland has global repercussions, just as the catastrophic war in Syria has drawn in and impacted countries way beyond the Middle East, including the United States and Russia. | These crises must be addressed by international agreements, negotiations and cooperation. But the U.S.'s insistence on leveraging its economic and military power to have the final say…

KNKMF (2019-09-20). Open letter to congress: Why the Hong Kong human rights and democracy act of 2019 must be opposed. nationofchange.org Note: Congress is currently considering the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019. If this bill becomes law it will increase conflict between the U.S. and China and increase U.S. meddling in Hong Kong. It will become an excuse for unilateral coercive measures (sanctions) against China and Hong Kong. In the Open Letter …

Aaron Maté (2019-09-20). Instead of threats, Trump can easily defuse Iran crisis he created. thegrayzone.com The Trump administration continues to threaten Iran after blaming it, without evidence, for the recent bombing of Saudi oil facilities….

WSWS (2019-09-20). Trump meets with security council on Iran war plans. wsws.org Washington has yet to produce a shred of evidence of Iran's responsibility for the Saudi attacks, which have been seized upon as a pretext for escalating a war for regime change.

Bill Van Auken (2019-09-20). Trump Reviewing Target Lists as Iran War Threat Mounts. globalresearch.ca US President Donald Trump has been presented with list of targets for US military strikes against Iran as US imperialism draws ever closer to initiating an armed conflict that could prove the antechamber to a third world war. | According to …

Robert Fantina (2019-09-20). The Saudi Arabia Oil Refinery Bombing: The Latest False Flag. globalresearch.ca The United States has long been itching to do Israel's bidding and invade Iran. This desire was somewhat subdued during the administration of Barack Obama, but returned like gang-busters with the ascendance of the unstable, narcissistic Donald Trump to …

Jason Ditz (2019-09-20). Pentagon Presents Trump With a Wide Range of Potential Targets to Strike in Iran. theantimedia.com Trump will be joined by national security officials when he is presented with a wide range of military options by the Pentagon.

Federico Pieraccini (2019-09-20). Saudi Arabia up in Flames: Riyadh Is Headed for a Major Disaster. globalresearch.ca On Saturday September 14, Yemen's Houthi rebels announced that they had conducted a massive attack on several Aramco plants in Saudi Arabia, including the largest oil refinery in the world in Abqaiq, using 10 drones. On Twitter, dozens of videos …

Tyler Durden (2019-09-20). Yemen's Houthi Halt All Attacks on Saudi Arabia With Ballistic Missiles and Drones. theantimedia.com Yemen's Houthi have announced at the end of a dramatic week following the early Saturday aerial attacks on two Saudi oil facilities.

Tom Luongo (2019-09-20). Will the Yemen War be the End of Saudi Arabia? globalresearch.ca The attack on Saudi Arabia's major oil processing station in Abqaiq over the weekend was a major turning point in global politics. It may be even bigger than many of us realize. | While forces within U.S. political circles, Israel and …

Liliana Segura (2019-09-20). Georgia Supreme Court Urges State to Stop Stonewalling In Devonia Inman Case: "Let Justice Be Done" theintercept.com Justice David Nahmias lamented the court's previous refusal to review Devonia Inman's case and expressed grave doubts about Inman's underlying guilt.

WSWS (2019-09-20). India: Motherson auto parts company in Chennai victimises strikers. wsws.org The company is the largest supplier of moulded parts, assemblies and modules to India's domestic automotive industry.

Vincent Emanuele (2019-09-20). Small Town Values. counterpunch.org Well I was born in a small town And I live in a small town Probably die in a small town Oh, those small communities' — John Mellencamp A few weeks ago, another young man was shot to death in Michigan City, Indiana. He was the fourth or fifth in the past several months (no More

Nyla Ali Khan (2019-09-20). Why Are Modi and His Cohort Paranoid About Diversity? counterpunch.org Home Minister Amit Shah of the BJP now bats for Hindi as the unifying language that India requires. In India, several decades ago, the uncritical reversion to fundamentalism and the attempt to create a "unified" political identity in the wake of right-wing nationalist movements led to the erosion of unique and distinctive cultural identities. In More

Jeet Heer (2019-09-20). Donald Trump Is Holding a Rally With… Narendra Modi? thenation.com Donald Trump Is Holding a Rally With… Narendra Modi?

Staff (2019-09-20). Meet the Young Woman Suing the US Government Over the Climate Crisis. truthout.org | | Among those joining today's Global Climate Strike will be Kelsey Juliana, lead plaintiff in Juliana v. United States, the landmark youth climate lawsuit against the U.S. government. She joins us for a roundtable discussion, along with Jerome Foster II, White House Climate Strike organizer, founder and executive director of OneMillionOfUs. | TRANSCRIPT: | AMY GOODMAN: We're also joined in Washington, D.C., by two more youth climate organizers. Jerome Foster II is the White House Climate St…

Bill Bigelow (2019-09-20). Rep. Barbara Lee Calls for Climate Education in All Schools. commondreams.org Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) met with press on Thursday Sept. 19, 2019 to announce that she would be introducing a House Resolution in support of teaching climate change in schools. (Photo: @RepBarbaraLee) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/barbara_lee_climate_education.jpg

WSWS (2019-09-20). Confrontation with China focus of Australian prime minister's state visit to Washington. wsws.org US-Australia relations are predicated on and aggressively seek to protect and extend immense corporate interests.

unitedEditor (2019-09-20). 5-G Revolution And The Battle For Techno-hegemony. uwidata.com The Fifth-generation cellular technology network (5-G), which promises higher speed, lower latency, and improved flexibility of wireless services, has become the latest battleground for the US and China. Opinion: The US-China contest has zoned in on the race for 5G domination — and the effect of any US sanctions against Huawei or others is likely …

teleSUR (2019-09-20). Netanyahu Clings to Power as Coalition Talks Continue. telesurenglish.net Israel's current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced Israeli media headlines on Friday suggesting power is slipping from his grasp after an election in which he trails his main rival with nearly all votes counted. | RELATED: | Israel: Gantz Rebuffs Netanyahu's 'Unity Gov't' Offer | The right-wing leader failed on Tuesday, for the second time in five months, to secure a clear election victory and the centrist Blue and White party led by ex-armed forces chief Benny Gantz rebuffed his calls…

Richard Silverstein (2019-09-20). Israeli Elections: Rearranging Deck Chairs on the Titanic. globalresearch.ca Israel's second election in the past five months has led to yet another political stalemate. As occurred in April, the two main political parties, the far-right Likud and centre-right Blue and White, fought to a virtual tie. | The …

Jonathan Cook (2019-09-20). Israelis Have Shown Netanyahu the Door. Can He Inflict More Damage before He Exits? globalresearch.ca For most Israelis, the general election on Tuesday was about one thing and one thing only. Not the economy, nor the occupation, nor even corruption scandals. It was about Benjamin Netanyahu. Should he head yet another far-right government, or …

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2019-09-20). Trump to Be Presented With Options to Attack Iran: Reports. commondreams.org The range of options the Pentagon will present the president with include military actions as well as political and economic moves. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump-iran-options-possible-military.jpg

Mark Taliano (2019-09-20). Syria Expresses Its Freedom Through Resistance. globalresearch.ca Syria expresses her freedom in her resistance to Empire. Resistance takes many forms and trajectories, but they all lead to freedom. | Resistance delivers freedom from terrorism, it expresses itself not only when the SAA defeats Western supported terrorists, but also …

Roger D. Harris (2019-09-20). On the Road to Damascus. dissidentvoice.org "Welcome to your second country" was the greeting our Syrian hosts gave us when we arrived for the International Trade Union Forum for "solidarity with the workers and people of Syria against the economic blockade, imperialist interventions, and terrorism." Throughout my short one-week stay, Syrians, on seeing I was a foreigner, would muster their best …

Staff (2019-09-20). This Afghan Teen Was Set to Join First-Ever U.N. Youth Climate Summit, But U.S. Denied His Visa. democracynow.org Climate youth activist Nasratullah Elham of Afghanistan was invited to participate in the first-ever U.N. Youth Climate Summit, but the United States rejected his visa. He breaks the sound barrier to join us from Phuket, Thailand, where he is a 12th grade student, and says his activism is based on the crisis's impact on his home country. "The poor people there are very badly affected in a situation [where] they do not really have much carbon emissions," he says.

Staff (2019-09-20). Kelsey Juliana v. U.S.: Meet the Young Woman Suing the Federal Government over the Climate Crisis. democracynow.org Among those joining today's Global Climate Strike will be Kelsey Juliana, lead plaintiff in Juliana v. United States, the landmark youth climate lawsuit against the U.S. government. She joins us for a roundtable discussion, along with Jerome Foster II, White House Climate Strike organizer, founder and executive director of OneMillionOfUs.

Staff (2019-09-20). "Young People Have Had Enough": Global Climate Strike Youth Activists on Why They Are Marching Today. democracynow.org Today is the Global Climate Strike, inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. As people took to the streets in Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia, we host a roundtable discussion with youth activists organizing marches in the United States — in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Minneapolis — ahead of next week's U.N. Climate Action Summit. We are joined by Xiye Bastida, a 17-year-old climate justice activist originally from Mexico who is an organizer with Fridays for Future New York and a student at Beacon High School in New York; Katie Eder, a 19-year-old climate justice activist wh…

Staff (2019-09-20). Headlines for September 20, 2019. democracynow.org Students Across the World Walk Out of Classes in Global Climate Strike, Two Die in Texas as Storm Dumps 40 Inches of Rain on Houston Area, Red Cross: 2 Million Need Humanitarian Aid Every Week Due to Climate Crisis, Bird Population in U.S. & Canada Dropped by Nearly 3 Billion Since 1970, Benny Gantz Declares Victory, Rejects Overture from Netanyahu, Trudeau Apologizes Again as New Blackface Photos Emerge, Funeral Held in Afghanistan After U.S. Drone Strike Killed 30 Civilians, Mostly Farmers, Kashmiris Sue Modi in U.S. Court as Trump Prepares to Appear with Indian PM at Texas Rally, Report: Whistleblower Complain…

T.J. Coles (2019-09-20). A Taste of Their Own Medicine: the Politicians Who Robbed Iranians and Libyans Fear the Same for Brexit Britain. counterpunch.org As part of then-Prime Minister (PM) Theresa May's supposed preparations for a no-deal Brexit, the government asked different departments of the UK's civil service, including those responsible for food, agriculture, medicine, and chemicals, to come up with impact assessments. The worst-case scenarios (not leaked or released at the time of writing) were codenamed Black Swan. More

Jeffrey St. Clair (2019-09-20). Roaming Charges: Pompeo and Circumstance. counterpunch.org + The Saudis want to "fight the Iranians to the last American." — Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, February 2010 + Who needs John Bolton, when you've got Pompeo Maximus declaring the attack on the Abqaiq refineries in Saudi Arabia: "An act of war." + By Pompeo's logic, the death of every Yemeni kid from cholera More

Joshua Cho (2019-09-20). Media Omit Context Behind Latest North Korean Missile Tests. fair.org by Joshua Cho | In his 2004 book North Korea: Another Country, historian Bruce Cumings described the irony of corporate media's perpetual narrative of North Korea as an unhinged or devious adversary of the US with hostile nuclear ambitions: Almost always, media discussion of North Korea assumes that Washington is in a position of original innocence, and the North is assiduously trying to obtain and then to use "weapons of mass destruction"—the ubiquitous media trope for the arsenals of American enemies since the Cold War ended. Yet the American record in Northeast Asia since the 1940s is one of consistent us…

Editor (2019-09-20). The crime against Afghanistan. workers.org It's the longest U.S. war ever. And no one in the ruling U.S. imperialist establishment can explain why it continues. Before Trump recently claimed he was for withdrawing at least some of the thousands of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, similar promises were made by previous U.S. presidents, Democrats and Republicans. . . . | Continue reading The crime against Afghanistan at Workers.org