(2019-10-31). An Open Letter to Donald Trump: You Are Putting the World at Grave Risk. commondreams.org What is rarely considered is that most of those immigrants and their children come from countries where the U.S. has supported their most murderous regimes and actively destroyed their democratic forms of government. (Photo: Syrian refugees/ Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/refugees_10.jpeg …
(2019-10-31). The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinian Christians that Nobody is Talking About. counterpunch.org 
Palestine's Christian population is dwindling at an alarming rate. The world's most ancient Christian community is moving elsewhere. And the reason for this is Israel. Christian leaders from Palestine and South Africa sounded the alarm at a conference in Johannesburg on October 15. Their gathering was titled: "The Holy Land: A Palestinian Christian Perspective". One More
(2019-10-31). CIA-Trained Afghan Forces Behind War Atrocities, Report Finds. truthdig.com 
ISLAMABAD — Heavily armed men burst into the home in the middle of night, hustling four brothers into separate rooms, their hands bound. Afghan special forces then shot them in the head and heart. The operation, the CIA-trained Afghan unit said, targeted Islamic State militants in a remote region of eastern Nangarhar Province. | In reality, the raid took place in the province's capital of Jalalabad, within earshot of Justice Ministry offices. In an interview with The Associated Press, the family said the dead brothers included a school teacher and an assistant to a member of Afghanistan's parliament. The tr…
(2019-10-31). A CIA-Backed Militia Targeted Clinics in Afghanistan, Killing Medical Workers and Civilians. theintercept.com 
On the night of March 8, 2019, four staffers at a Swedish-run health clinic in Afghanistan's Wardak Province ate together, talked around a thermos of tea, and bedded down for the night in the guard's room. They were awakened some time later by the thump of helicopter rotors followed by distant explosions echoing from farther up the Tangi Valley. The sounds were not unusual in Wardak, where for 20 years there has been little respite from war, and the four went back to sleep. | The men were jolted awake again sometime after midnight. The main gate to the clinic, which was next to the guard's room, had been blown in…
(2019-10-31). Beirut is Burning: Rebellion Against the Elites has Commenced. dissidentvoice.org 
Tires are burning, smoke is rising towards the sky. It is October, the 18th day of the month, the capital city of Lebanon, in the past known as the "Paris of the East", is covered in smoke. For years I was warning that the country governed by corrupt, indifferent elites, could not hold together indefinitely. …
(2019-10-31). Lebanon's Prime Minister Resigns, but Protests Continue. therealnews.com 
Human rights campaigner Samah Hadid discusses Hezbollah's decision to switch from supporting the protests to opposing them, why the prime minister resigned, and why this is not enough to end the protests.
(2019-10-31). Baghdadi Had No Real Answer for the Crumbling of His Caliphate. counterpunch.org 
The Arab Spring uprisings in 2011, notably in Syria, presented Baghdadi and ISI with an opportunity for swift expansion as the Syrian government lost control of large parts of the country. Al-Baghdadi sent seasoned militants and fighters, money and weapons to establish Jabhat al-Nusra as the leading rebel organisation, though its dependence on ISI was at first kept secret. More
(2019-10-31). Iraq's Prime Minister Resigns Amidst Largest Protests Since 2003. therealnews.com 
Iraqi security forces have killed hundreds of protesters who want to uproot the corrupt political system tied to Iran and established after the U.S. occupation.
(2019-10-31). Lebanon's Hezbollah Fires Anti-Aircraft Missile at Israeli UAV. telesurenglish.net Hezbollah allegedly downed an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that was seen violating Lebanon's southern airspace, Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen TV reported. | RELATED: | Lebanese PM Saad Hariri Resigns Amid Pressure From Protesters | The Lebanese channel said the Israeli drone had entered Lebanon's airspace and was spying on Hezbollah's positions before they fired an anti-aircraft missile to bring down this UAV. | Israel's military confirmed that an anti-aircraft miss…
(2019-10-31). The FBI is Tracking Our Faces in Secret. We're Suing. aclu.org Many of us wear masks on Halloween for fun. But what about a world in which we have to wear a mask every single day to protect our privacy from the government's oppressive eye? | Face | recognition surveillance technology has already made that frightening world a | reality in Hong Kong, and it's quickly becoming a scary | possibility in the United States. | The FBI is currently collecting data about our faces, irises, walking patterns, and voices, permitting the government to pervasively identif…
(2019-10-31). Iraqi PM Will Only Resign if Replacement Found: President. telesurenglish.net Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi is ready to resign only if parliament's main blocs can agree on his replacement, President Barham Salih said Thursday, as tens of thousands gathered in Baghdad to demand an end to the current system of government. | Abdul Mahdi, who despite promising reforms and a broad reshuffle of his cabinet has struggled to address protesters' demands. He has refused calls for an early election made by his erstwhile main supporter, populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. | "The prime minister had previously agreed to submit his resignation if the blocs agree on an acceptable replacement in o…
(2019-10-31). Russia's Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline Nears Completion. globalresearch.ca Russia has the world's largest natural gas reserves. Iran ranks second. Both nations have far larger reserves than the US, Saudi Arabia and other countries. | When completed, Russia's Nord Stream 2 will be the world's longest underwater pipeline, able to …
(2019-10-31). WorkWeek On Privatization of Ports & Schools At Oakland Rally & Fire,PG&E & Public. indybay.org WorkWeek looks at a united front rally in Oakland at Mosswood Park against privatization of the port of Oakland, the schools in Oakland and includes the fight in Mexico, Chile and Palestine. | WorkWeek also looks at the role of PG&E in the fires and the issue of public power.
(2019-10-31). Syria's groundbreaking constitutional talks: 'a clear success of mediation' says Guterres in Turkey. un.org Mediation is "one of our most important tools to reduce and end conflict", United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the sixth Istanbul Mediation Conference, in the Turkish capital on Thursday.
(2019-10-31). Trump, Turkey and the Kurds – signs of a crumbling U.S. empire. indybay.org Unitarian Universalist Society of S.F. | 1187 Franklin St. corner of Geary Ave. | San Francisco…
(2019-10-31). Turkey, Syria, and the Kurds. indybay.org NPML – Marxist Library | 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland (just North of Alcatraz Ave.)…
(2019-10-31). Washington threatens to fight Syria and Russia for oil. wsws.org The restatement of US objectives in seizing Syria's oil fields came amid border clashes between Turkish and Syrian troops.
(2019-10-31). Telling the Truth Has Become an Anti-American Act. The Real Dangers of Nuclear War. globalresearch.ca Stephen Cohen and I emphasize that the state of tension today between the United States and Russia is more dangerous than during the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. For calling needed attention to the risk of …
(2019-10-31). Video: Turkish-backed Forces Shell Russian Military Police in Northeastern Syria. US Says "We are not Going to Abandon (Our) Oil Fields" globalresearch.ca On October 29, a patrol of the Russian Military Police came under a mortar fire near the border village of Darbasiyah. The village is located just east of the Turkish-controlled town of Ras al-Ayn. The Russians were there to discuss …
(2019-10-31). Is There a Color Revolution in the Making in Lebanon? globalresearch.ca This article is a continuation of my last article about what's really going on in Lebanon. According to many Lebanese and my regular taxi driver and friend in Beirut, Hussein, Lebanon no longer exists for the Lebanese. According to the …
(2019-10-31). Lebanon's "Revolution" Is Without Revolutionary Ideology. globalresearch.ca There is a revolution in Lebanon without a revolutionary ideology. It is spontaneous, and if memory serves one well, spontaneous revolutions end up badly for the left. Although the left was at its peak in the less spontaneous German uprising …
(2019-10-31). Naturalist Night: American Indians 101. indybay.org Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History | 1305 E Cliff Dr, Santa Cruz…
(2019-10-31). Fire Sweeps Pakistani Train, Killing 73, After Cooking Fire. telesurenglish.net A fire swept through a Pakistani train on Thursday, killing 73 people and injuring nearly 40 after a gas canister that passengers were using to cook breakfast exploded, the minister of railways said. | The fire destroyed three of the train's carriages near the town of Rahim Yar Khan in the south of Punjab province. It was on its way to Rawalpindi, near the capital, from the southern city of Karachi, with many people traveling to a religious gathering. | It was the worst disaster on Pakistan's accident-plagued railway system in nearly 15 years. | "Two stoves blew up when people were cooking breakfast, the pre…
(2019-10-31). China: 19th CPC Central Committee Concludes Plenary Session. telesurenglish.net The 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded its fourth plenary session in Beijing on Thursday, with the release of a communique on major issues concerning the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and governance capacity building. | RELATED: | China-CELAC Aim At Further Cooperation, Strengthening of Ties | At this plenary session, which was held from Oct 28 to 31, China's President Xi Jinping was entrusted by the CPC central Committee's Political Bur…
(2019-10-31). Australian and New Zealand students speak after lecture on 70th anniversary of Chinese Revolution. wsws.org "The real root ideas of socialism were not implemented in China from the bottom-up. I learnt that Trotskyism is internationalism, but Mao did not agree with that perspective."
(2019-10-31). Syrian Woman to Ivanka: "How Shameless, You Are Proud Your Father Murders Us" globalresearch.ca This article was originally published in 2017. | Ivanka Trump on Twitter, how shameless you are to be proud of your father's murderous bombings of Syria. Are you both afraid because Syria is protecting Syrians from foreign terrorists armed and funded …
(2019-10-31). Yemen Runs Out of Fuel and Last Hospitals Close. globalresearch.ca While the mainstream media focuses on condemning President Trump for pulling US troops out of Syria, Yemen faces a national health crisis. The last functioning hospitals across multiple major cities in Yemen will shut their doors and stop providing services …
(2019-10-31). ISIS Announces Al-Baghdadi's Death and New Leader. telesurenglish.net The Islamic State militant group confirmed on Thursday that its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a weekend raid by U.S. forces in northwestern Syria and it vowed revenge against the United States. | RELATED: | Trump Says Islamic State Leader Baghdadi Dead in US Forces Raid | Baghdadi, an Iraqi jihadist who rose from obscurity to declare himself "caliph" of all Muslims as the leader of Islamic State, died during the swoop by U.S. special forces, President Donald Trump…
(2019-10-31). Self-Determination for Syria! U.S. Out Now! counterpunch.org A furious bi-partisan warmongering outburst of opposition met President Trump's mid-October announcement that U.S. troops were being withdrawn from Northeastern Syria. Engineered by the Democrats, and joined by the top spokespersons of the twin parties of war, racism and environmental destruction, they denounced Trump and passed an instant congressional resolution demanding that the estimated 1,000 More
(2019-10-31). Why Those "Endless Wars" Must Never End. commondreams.org Donald Trump's declared intention to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria as a preliminary step toward reducing our regional military presence has elicited bipartisan condemnation expressed in the strongest terms. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/pentagon_budget_0.jpeg …
(2019-10-31). This Is Not How You Show Solidarity. thenation.com This Is Not How You Show Solidarity…
(2019-10-31). The Market for Voting Machines Is Broken. This Company Has Thrived in It. truthout.org In the glare of the hotly contested 2018 elections, things did not go ideally for ES&S, the nation's largest manufacturer of voting technology. | In Georgia, where the race for governor had drawn national interest amid concerns about election integrity, ES&S-owned technology was in use when more than 150,000 voters inexplicably did not cast a vote f…
(2019-10-31). Abortion is Legal in All 50 States, and We Intend to Keep It That Way. aclu.org On | Tuesday, a federal court issued a decision in our challenge to Alabama's | near-total ban on abortion blocking the law from taking effect. The decision | comes on the heels of similar rulings blocking abortion bans in Arkansas, | Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Utah. In other words, the ACLU has an | undefeated, 7-0 record challenging state abortion bans in court. None of the state abortion bans passed | earlier this year will be permitted to take effect. Abortion is — and will | remain — legal in all 50 states. | The | Alabama ban, like all the others, is the anti-abortion movement's t…
(2019-10-31). 'Terrorizing the Populace': Report Finds CIA-Backed Death Squads in Afghanistan Committing War Crimes, Atrocities. commondreams.org "The CIA has enabled abusive Afghan forces to commit atrocities including extrajudicial executions and disappearances." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/afghan_war.jpeg …
(2019-10-31). Solidarity with Rojava continues to grow. greenleft.org.au 
international solidarity Fred FuentesIssue 1243 Australia RojavaOctober 31, 2019More trade unions have come out in opposition to Turkey's invasion of the Kurdish majority, northern region of Syria, commonly known as Rojava. | The Construction, Forestry, Mining and…
(2019-10-31). Ro Khanna Condemns GOP For Attacking Civil Servants to Shield Trump As House Votes on Impeachment. democracynow.org 
The House of Representatives is holding a historic vote today to formalize the impeachment process against President Trump. The probe centers on whether Trump withheld military aid to Ukraine to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Trump's political rival Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, who served on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company. As the House votes today, lawmakers are continuing to question key Trump administration behind closed doors, including the top Russia official on the National Security Council, Tim Morrison. On Wednesday, House Democrats also requeste…
(2019-10-31). Headlines for October 31, 2019. democracynow.org Tens of Thousands Evacuate as New Blazes Erupt in Fire-Ravaged California, Chile Calls Off U.N. Climate Talks Amid Massive Protests Against Inequality, Protesters Confront JPMorgan Chase CEO Over Fossil Fuel Investments, Youth Climate Activists Stage Sit-In at House Speaker Pelosi's Office, Keystone Pipeline Breach Spills Oil in North Dakota, House Readies Vote to Formalize Impeachment Process, Top Immigration Official Grilled Over Move to Deport Critically Ill Immigrants, "Not Qualified" Rating from Bar Association Draws Tears from Judicial Nominee, India to Split Jammu and Kashmir Into Two Territories Controlle…
(2019-10-30). University of Illinois leadership attacks solidarity with Palestine. liberationnews.org 
Activists condemn false conflation of anti-zionism with anti-semitism.
(2019-10-30). At This Year's J Street Conference, "Progressive" Pols Bow to Israel While Preaching Peace. mintpressnews.com 
Progressive politicians like Bernie Sanders should be credited for finally offering solutions to decades-old Israeli Human rights violations, but those solutions are often little more than talking points designed to placate their base and appease Israel.
(2019-10-30). 'Rupublicans' should fight 'infair' impeachment: Trump tweet typos set Resistance tongues wagging again. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has urged his party to push back on the "impeachment nonsense" — but his early morning typos are feeding the trolls and the online 'Resistance,' convinced that they will get him this time. | Tweeting on Wednesday morning, Trump repeated that the transcript of his July call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was "totally appropriate" and called the Democrat-led impeachment process "just a continuation of the Witch Hunt Hoax" — meaning the debunked Russian collusion conspiracy. | He managed to misspell a few things, however. | | In the sea of hostile responses ever…
(2019-10-30). 1 killed as rocket hits checkpoint 'METERS' from US embassy in Baghdad. rt.com 
A rocket has struck a checkpoint inside Baghdad's Green Zone, killing one Iraqi soldier and injuring another, Iraq's security forces have confirmed. It struck some 50 meters from the gates to the US Embassy, media reports say. | Two rockets were reportedly fired into the heavily fortified Green Zone area of Baghdad on Wednesday night. Iraqi military sources confirmed one soldier was killed and another wounded, but did not elaborate. | Some media reports indicated, however, that the area was targeted by mortar fire. | The Green Zone is a walled-off district in the heart of the Iraqi capital where government bui…
(2019-10-30). Brazilian president defends policies amid recent Amazon fires. thecanary.co 
Brazil's president has launched a strong defence of his far-right government while on a visit to Saudi Arabia, blasting any criticism of his policies on recent fires in the Amazon region.Jair Bolsonaro also criticised French president Emmanuel Macron in a speech on Wednesday before the Future Investment Initiative in the kingdom, while praising American leader Donald Trump.Bolsonaro at one point said: "The Amazon region belongs to us."Bolsonaro praised US president Donald Trump (AP)Scientists say the vast rainforest is a bulwark against global warming as its lush vegetation absorbs heat-trapping carbon dioxide fr…
(2019-10-30). There's more to Turkey's invasion of northern Syria than the media's reporting. thecanary.co Dr Celal Cahit Agar is a lecturer at St Andrews University, School of Management. This article was co-authored with Steffen Bà∂hm, professor in organisation studies at the University of Exeter Business School. | Turkey's recent invasion of northern Syria — i.e. " Operation Peace Spring" — sought to displace largely Kurdish communities and establish what Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoƒüan calls a 2…
(2019-10-30). Israeli Soldier Who Killed Palestinian Gets 1-Month Sentence. telesurenglish.net An Israeli soldier who shot dead a Palestinian teenager during the great march of return protest has been sentenced Wednesday to one month of community service. | RELATED: | Sanders Proposes to Give Part of Israel US Military Aid to Gaza | The incident took place on July 13, 2018, when the Israeli soldier shot dead 15-year-old unarmed Othman Rami Halas. | A video uploaded to social media showed the young boy standing by a fence with several women and children waving Palestinian fl…
(2019-10-30). Iraqi regime responds to mass protests with brutal crackdown. wsws.org The Iraqi police and security services have killed at least 250 people and injured thousands in a crackdown against the mass protests that erupted earlier this month.
(2019-10-30). Iraq protests: UN calls for national talks to break 'vicious cycle' of violence. un.org The UN's most senior official in Iraq, visited protesters in central Baghdad on Wednesday, calling for "a national dialogue to identify prompt, meaningful responses to break the vicious cycle of violence" which has roiled the country during the past five days.
(2019-10-30). Camp Bucca, Abu Ghraib and the Rise of Extremism in Iraq. counterpunch.org Sunday morning, President Trump announced the death of Abu Bakr Al- Baghdadi and three of his children. President Trump said Al-Baghdadi, the founder of ISIS, was fleeing U.S. military forces, in a tunnel, and then killed himself by detonating a suicide vest he wore. In 2004, Al-Baghdadi had been captured by U.S. forces and, for More
(2019-10-30). The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinian Christians that nobody is talking about. dissidentvoice.org Palestine's Christian population is dwindling at an alarming rate. The world's most ancient Christian community is moving elsewhere. And the reason for this is Israel. Christian leaders from Palestine and South Africa sounded the alarm at a conference in Johannesburg on October 15. Their gathering was titled: "The Holy Land: A Palestinian Christian Perspective". One …
(2019-10-30). US House of Reps Votes to Recognize Armenian Genocide. telesurenglish.net The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to recognize the mass killings of Armenians a century ago as a genocide, a symbolic but historic vote instantly denounced by Turkey. | RELATED: | US House Democrats Ready Impeachment Rules, as 1st Trump Official Testifies | The Democratic-controlled House voted 405-11 in favor of a resolution asserting that it is U.S. policy to commemorate as genocide the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoma…
(2019-10-30). Syria: The Launch of a Constitutional Committee a Sign of Hope for Syrian People. dissidentvoice.org 29 October 2019 Peter Koenig Transcript of a PressTV Interview following a live press Conference by the Foreign Ministers of Russia, Iran and Turkey at the UN Geneva, Switzerland Background GENEVA, October 28 (Xinhua) — The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said here on Monday that the Constitutional Committee's launch should be a …