(2020-01-07). Netanyahu backs away from Soleimani assassination, warns ministers to 'stay out' of purely 'American event'. rt.com 
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly warned his cabinet not to get too involved in the US murder of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, lest Tel Aviv gets dragged into the escalating conflict between Washington and Tehran. | "The assassination of Soleimani isn't an Israeli event but an American event. We were not involved and should not be dragged into it," Netanyahu reportedly told his security cabinet during a meeting on Monday, as cited by Israel's Channel 13. He advised ministers to avoid speaking to the media about Thursday's targeted assassination beyond supporting the US right to defend itself, so…
(2020-01-07). 'Keep out of Libya!' Gruesome videos of Tripoli military academy strike emerge as UN envoy decries foreign meddling. rt.com 
Shocking videos have emerged online, showing what appears to be a drone strike on a Libyan military academy — instantly killing dozens of cadets and wounding just as many — as well as its bloody aftermath. | At least 30 trainees were killed and another 33 injured in the Saturday strike, health officials of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) said, noting the total death toll could still increase. | In one video circulating online, somewhat grainy and taken from a distance, a column of trainees is briefly seen in marching formation before it is obliterated by a direct hit that come…
(2020-01-06). Assassination Is Not a Foreign Policy. globalresearch.ca 
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(2020-01-06). The Government is Torturing Chelsea Manning! Does Anyone Give a Damn? counterpunch.org 
Chelsea Manning is being tortured for her refusal to testify before a federal grand jury. She already has told a military court as a whistleblower while in the Army about documents pertaining to alleged war crimes that were committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. She has already been tortured and imprisoned for releasing that information once ("Collateral Murder" video, More
(2020-01-06). UK urges Baghdad to allow its troops to continue 'vital work' as Iraqi parliament calls for withdrawal of all foreign forces. rt.com 
The UK government has expressed opposition to an Iraqi resolution demanding the expulsion of foreign troops, arguing that British soldiers play a critical security role in the country. | The removal of foreign military forces would prevent the US-led coalition from continuing its "vital work" countering Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in Iraq, a UK government spokesman argued. | Iraq's parliament passed the motion on Sunday following the US-ordered assassination of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, in Baghdad. The resolution is non-binding and has not yet been adopted as an official…
(2020-01-06). Trump's Iran Aggression Sparks Protests Across America, World. mintpressnews.com 
The weekend saw more than 70 spontaneous or hastily organized demonstrations across America in opposition to the Trump administration's warlike actions against Iraq and Iran. On January 3, the United States carried out a drone strike in Baghdad that killed Major General Qasem Soleimani of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Soleimani was commonly se…
(2020-01-06). Not his 'vision' for Pakistan: Imran Khan condemns violence at Sikh shrine. rt.com 
Prime Minister Imran Khan has denounced a violent altercation that occurred at a Sikh holy site in Pakistan, stressing that his government would not tolerate sectarian strife in the country. | Writing on Twitter, Khan said the incident outside the Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib was "condemnable" and "goes against [his] vision". He said Islamabad had "zero tolerance" for such actions, and that perpetrators of religion-fueled violence would not receive sympathy from the police or judiciary. | In contrast, Modi's RSS vision supports minorities oppression & the targeted attacks against Muslims are part of…
(2020-01-06). Trump threatens Iraq with 'very big sanctions' unless it pays back BILLIONS for an airbase if US troops are forced to withdraw. rt.com 
Iraq should brace for sanctions that will make the ones placed on Iran look weak in comparison if it kicks out the US troops without first covering the costs for an airbase, US President Donald Trump said. | "We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that's there. It cost billions of dollars to build, long before my time. We're not leaving unless they pay us back for it," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. | The punitive measures that the US is ready to slap on its supposed ally in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) will be even harsher than the crippling sanctions al…
(2020-01-06). America Escalates Its "Democratic" Oil War in the Near East. counterpunch.org 
The mainstream media are carefully sidestepping the method behind America's seeming madness in assassinating Islamic Revolutionary Guard general Qassim Suleimani to start the New Year. The logic behind the assassination this was a long-standing application of U.S. global policy, not just a personality quirk of Donald Trump's impulsive action. His assassination of Iranian military leader Suleimani was indeed a unilateral act of war in violation of international law, but it was a logical step in a long-standing U.S. strategy. It was explicitly authorized by the Senate in the funding bill for the Pentagon that it pa…
(2020-01-06). Beijing slams Washington for fueling tensions in Middle East with 'military interventionism'. rt.com 
China has accused the US of having a destabilizing presence in the Middle East, describing growing animosity between the United States and Iran as a threat to regional security. | The US should not misuse its military power, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said during a press briefing on Monday. He also called on Washington and Tehran to show restraint and avoid an escalation of tensions in the wake of a US drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force. | "Power politics are neither popular nor sustainable," Shuang added, as quoted by Reuters. | The US' r…
(2020-01-06). The Assassination of Gen. Qasem Soleimani. counterpunch.org 
In 2003 the U.S. committed the crime of the century, invading, destroying and occupying the modern state of Iraq, ushering in an era of misery, terror and chaos in the region. Or one could say that the invasion continued an era launched by the ill-fated invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, justified by the 9/11 More
(2020-01-06). Iraq's Worst Fears Have Come True: a Proxy War on Its Doorstep. counterpunch.org 
The killing of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani by a US drone at Baghdad airport is an act of escalation by President Donald Trump that ensures that Iraq faces a violent future. It may not lead to a full-scale military conflict, but Iraq will be the political and military arena where the US-Iranian rivalry will be fought out. More
(2020-01-06). The Inauthentic Opposition is "Stunned" by a Crime it Encouraged. counterpunch.org 
Top Democrats are "stunned" that Trump impulsively ordered the killing of "the commanding general of a sovereign government" (New York Times) — Iran's Maj. Gen. Qassim Soliemani —on the sovereign territory of Iraq without the permission of Iraq's government. The imperial assassination of Soliemani is a criminal act of war guaranteed to provoke a reaction that could produce a regional war involving U.S. forces in the Middle East. More
(2020-01-06). Censorship in Canada? Vanessa Beeley's Talks on Syria. dissidentvoice.org 
White Helmets Vanessa Beeley is a British journalist who was invited to Canada in the fall of 2019 to present talks in seven cities on the conflict in Syria. The sponsors of her speaking tour were several anti-war groups, including the Geopolitical Economy Research Group, the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War, and Peace Alliance …
(2020-01-06). Hundreds of protesters for peace come out in Pacific Northwest Jan. 4. liberationnews.org 
Reports from Seattle, Spokane, Kennewick and Boise…
(2020-01-06). Iran's rollback on 2015 deal commitments poses no risk of nuclear arms proliferation — Moscow. rt.com 
Blaming Tehran for its decision not to adhere to the 2015 nuclear deal won't work, as it's a direct consequence of the US's withdrawal from the pact and increased sanctions pressure on Iran, the Foreign Ministry said. | The rollback on uranium enrichment constraints detailed in the landmark international agreement "in itself poses no threat in terms of proliferation of nuclear weapons," the ministry said in a statement. | The fact that Iran is acting in "close cooperation and unde…
(2020-01-06). Conservative satire as popular as mainstream news, journalists and cyberwarriors furious. rt.com 
A satirical article claiming the Democratic Party is officially mourning the death of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani has been shared more times than most CNN and New York Times articles, annoying the joke police. | Soleimani, who commanded the Iranian military Quds Force, was killed in an American airstrike last week, an assassination which raised already high tensions between Washington and Tehran to boiling point. Democrats criticized Trump for ordering Soleimani's killing, prompting conservative satire site the Babylon Bee to put its own spin on events. | "Democrats call for flags to be flown a…
(2020-01-06). An Act of Cowardice: US Assassination of Soleimani Puts US-Israeli Fear of Iran on Full Display. mintpressnews.com 
Neither Israel or the US is prepared for an all out war with Iran, "hit and run" seems to be the tactic of choice. Hit Iranian targets in Syria or Iraq, and then run.
(2020-01-06). Former Top Bush Official: I Saw the March to War in 2003. I'm Seeing the Same Thing with Iran Now. democracynow.org 
We look at the Trump administration's assassination of Iran's top military commander Qassem Soleimani with Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired United States Army colonel who served as Secretary of State Colin Powell's chief of staff from 2002 to 2005. On February 5, 2003, he watched as Powell made the case for war in a speech to the United Nations. He has since become an outspoken critic of U.S. intervention in the Middle East. In 2018, Wilkerson wrote an article for The New York Times titled "I Helped Sell the False Choice of War Once. It's Happening Again."
(2020-01-06). Soleimani's Death Could Galvanize Shia Coalitions Against One "Foreign Aggressor" — The U.S. democracynow.org 
Fallout continues to mount following the U.S. assassination of Iran's top military commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad last week. Iranian media reports that over a million mourners took to the streets of Tehran today for the funeral of Soleimani, who headed Iran's elite Quds Force. On Sunday, Iran announced it would suspend its commitments under the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, which the U.S. pulled out of in 2018. Trump has also threatened to target 52 locations in Iran, including cultural sites, if Iran retaliates against the U.S. The targeting of cultural sites is widely viewed as an international war crime.
(2020-01-06). U.S. Communists denounce Trump's Iran war drive. peoplesworld.org 
Following the U.S. drone-strike assassination of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani and the deployment of thousands more U.S. troops to the Middle East, the Communist Party USA condemned the Trump administration's drive toward war with Iran in a statement released this weekend. The party is calling for a mass public campaign to resist war and remove …
(2020-01-06). Israel's Fingerprint Are All Over the Assassination of Qasem Soleimani. mintpressnews.com 
The fingerprints of Israeli intelligence, the Mossad, are unmistakably present in the assassination. It is plausible that the attack at Soleimani's convoy was a joint CIA-Mossad operation.
(2020-01-06). War danger a cause for concern around the globe. peoplesworld.org 
Those who saw recent demonstrations against the theocratic regime ruling Iran as a good sign had their hopes set back yesterday when the funeral for the assassinated Iranian General Qassem Soleimani drew millions into the streets of Tehran, that nation's capital. A sea of humanity turned out to demonstrate its anger with the illegal U.S. …
(2020-01-06). 'We're not allowed to talk about anything wrong in the Democratic Party' — AOC trashes the Democratic establishment. rt.com 
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the chief architects of the Democrats' leftward shift, has hit out at her party for fielding candidates like the centrist Joe Biden, and said "we're not allowed to talk" about party division. | Ocasio-Cortez considers herself "one of the most hated people in America," she told New York magazine in an interview published on Monday. Since a surprise electoral victory over a ten-term incumbent Democrat in 2018, she's since become the face of her party's emboldened progressive wing, alongside 'The Squad' of fellow Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib (Michigan), Ilhan Omar (Minnesota) and M…
(2020-01-06). 'Big loss' if Iran's nuclear deal scrapped & regarding Iraq, US threats are 'not helpful' — German FM. rt.com 
The nuclear deal signed between major world powers and Iran after years of tough talks could be on the brink of collapse after Tehran announced it will throw out all constraints on uranium enrichment, the German FM warned. | The first week of the year saw more bad news coming in, with Iran saying it will cease sticking to limitations on enrichment, levels of enrichment and the stock of uranium written down in the 2015 nuclear deal. | The announcement apparently unnerved Germany, one of the three European countries that have been trying to save the deal after Donald Trump's abrupt decision to pull the US out o…
(2020-01-06). 'We are trying to prevent open war,' Iraqi PM tells US ambassador as tensions mount. rt.com 
Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has told US ambassador Matthew Tueller that Baghdad is doing all it can to prevent "descent into open war" as tensions flare over the US killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. | Speaking at a meeting with Tueller in the Iraqi capital on Monday, Abdul-Mahdi said his government's policy has "always been to have relations with all sides." He said Iraq wants to build its relations with other countries on "cooperation, mutual respect, and protection of foreign sovereignty," adding that a strong Iraqi government is in "everyone's interest" in the region. | The PM als…
(2020-01-06). Democrats to introduce House resolution limiting Trump's military actions against Iran. rt.com 
The House will vote on a resolution to restrict Donald Trump's ability to wage war against Iran, Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said, arguing that Congress must prevent the White House from endangering American lives. | In a letter to her Democratic colleagues, Pelosi stressed that Congress had a "responsibility" to stop a "serious escalation" with Tehran that could endanger US diplomats and service members. She said the House will introduce a vote on a War Powers resolution later this week that aims to "limit the President's…
(2020-01-06). Australia's cricketing 'King of Spin' Shane Warne sells prized Baggy Green cap for bushfire victims. rt.com 
Australian cricket legend Shane Warne has opened the bidding on his iconic Baggy Green cap in order to raise funds for those affected by the devastating bushfires which have ravaged the continent. | The 50-year-old, known as the 'King of Spin', announced the move during day four of the third test between Australia and New Zealand. | READ MORE: 'Conditions are a health concern for players': Novak Djokovic worried about bushfires ahead of Australian Open | Warne wore the cap during his 145-match Test care…
(2020-01-06). There may be far more black holes wandering space, consuming all in their path, says worrying new research. rt.com 
Scientists studying the underlying mechanisms which formed the universe have made a startling and terrifying discovery, which they believe indicates that there are more black holes out there than we thought — and they're moving. | The team from Montana State University targeted dwarf galaxies, which are 100 times less massive than our own Milky Way, for study as these are the smallest known to possibly host black holes. Given the size of the galaxies, it follows that their black holes would also be relatively small, though still somewhere in the region of 400,000 times the mass of our sun. | Also on rt.c…
(2020-01-06). 'Never threaten the Iranian nation': Rouhani rebuffs Trump's warning that 52 Iranian targets may be hit. rt.com 
Iran's president has reminded Donald Trump of the 290 Iranians who died when the US shot down their plane in 1988, after the US president threatened to hit 52 targets in Iran — the same number of American hostages taken in 1979.
(2020-01-06). 'US attempts to start war in Middle East are MADNESS!' Iraqi commander killed in US strike on Soleimani once told RT. rt.com 
Iraq and Iran have a mutual interest in each other's security, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis told RT in 2017. The Iraqi militia leader was among those killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad that targeted Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. | Soleimani, head of Iran's elite Quds Force, was the main target of Friday's drone attack, but the Americans apparently didn't care about collateral damage. Among the ten victims was not just the Iranian general — whom Washington conveniently branded a terrorist — but also top Iraqi security officials, who are technically supposed to be US allies. | Al-Muhandis, the deputy…
(2020-01-06). Even CNN is tired of Joe Biden lying about having been against the Iraq War. rt.com 
CNN has blasted Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for claiming once again that he opposed the Iraq War from the beginning, when in fact he was an advocate of the war, speaking in favor of it many times. | In a piece published on CNN's 'Facts First' blog Biden was scolded for "dishonestly" claiming he opposed the invasion of Iraq. The fact-check came after Biden told a voter in Iowa at the weekend that he was against the war "from the very moment" George W. Bush launched it. In re…
(2020-01-06). Embassy in Israel warns Americans 'heightened tensions' may bring rocket fire. rt.com 
The US embassy in Jerusalem has warned US citizens that they face an increased likelihood of rocket fire and other "security incidents" amid "heightened tensions" following the US killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. | Citing "heightened tensions in the Middle East," the embassy urged Americans in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza to "remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness" on Monday, noting that rocket fire and other "security incidents" seldom leave much time to react. The memo advised Americans to learn the location of nearby bomb shelters and pay attention to…
(2020-01-06). Amid rising protests, House plans vote against Trump war on Iran. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—Amid rising protests in the streets and online against President Donald Trump's looming war on Iran, the Democratic-run U.S. House plans to vote on a measure banning that war without congressional approval. The resolution, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told her colleagues, will invoke the 1973 War Powers Act and order Trump not to go to …
(2020-01-06). We're saved! Golden Globes serving plant-based meals to 'send a signal' about climate change. rt.com 
The Golden Globes will be serving its first exclusively vegan menu at its ceremony on Sunday night, and many are wondering if it's another empty, virtue-signaling move from the limousine and private jet loving stars. | The goal of serving an en vogue meatless menu to guests before the televised ceremony is to "send a signal" about the potential dangers of climate change. | "If there's a way we can, not change the world, but save the planet, maybe we can get the Golden Globes to send a signal and draw attention to the issue about climate change," Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Lorenzo Soria said…
(2020-01-06). Australia's climate change-denying prime minister tries to dodge blame for fires. peoplesworld.org 
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison insisted that "blame doesn't help anybody" on Sunday among increasing uproar over Australia's apocalyptic wildfire outbreak. "Now is the time to focus on the response," he said. "Overanalysis of these things is not a productive exercise." Morrison also denied that his government had not acknowledged the link between climate change …
(2020-01-06). Jan 8 Strike: With 73 million jobless in India, it's a fight for survival. peoplesdispatch.org 
Workers are striking for more jobs while the Narendra Modi government is busy implementing the far-right wing agenda, refusing to see the huge army of unemployed…
(2020-01-06). WhatsApp and fake news, or how to kill democracy. mronline.org 
Fears and anxieties are used to create and diffuse fake news and manipulate the electorate. This is what happened at the last Brazilian election. A group of researchers studied the case in order to develop a method to deal with fake news. | Source
(2020-01-06). Boeing looks for additional cash to stay afloat amid ongoing 737 MAX crisis — report. rt.com 
American aerospace giant Boeing is eyeing to raise more debt in a bid to cope with the consequences of the groundings of its once best-selling airplane, the 737 MAX, according to a Wall Street Journal report. | Apart from fundraising, which could amount up to $5 billion in extra debt, it may also have to put off some investment and planned acquisitions, as well as cut spending on research and development, the report said citing sources. | Also on rt.com | | Boeing to pay compensation to Turkish Airlines over 737 MAX grounding | The me…
(2020-01-06). Dem candidates are critical of Trump's drone strike…but mostly are criticizing the Iranian general he killed. mronline.org 
"No American will mourn Qassem Suleimani's passing," begins former Vice President Joe Biden's statement, "He deserved to be brought to justice for his crimes against American troops and thousands of innocents throughout the region. He supported terror and sowed chaos." | Source
(2020-01-06). Trump's Killing of Qassem Soleimani Means "Rules of the Game Have Totally Changed" in Middle East. democracynow.org 
The Iraqi Parliament voted Sunday to expel all U.S. military forces from Iraq. President Trump responded by threatening to impose sanctions on Iraq "like they've never seen before." Iraq has already been the target of some of the harshest sanctions the world has even seen. U.S.-backed sanctions killed more than a million Iraqis, including over 500,000 children, between 1990 and 2003. From Baghdad, we talk to Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, correspondent for The Guardian newspaper.
(2020-01-06). 'No decision to leave Iraq'? Pentagon officials contradict each other over 'poorly worded' US withdrawal plan sent by 'mistake'. rt.com 
Complete confusion reigned at the Pentagon after the publication of a letter about withdrawal from Iraq, with the top general describing it as a "mistake" and the Defense Secretary arguing there were no plans for the US pullout. | "There's been no decision to leave Iraq. Period," Secretary Mark Esper told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday, in what appears to have been an off-camera briefing. | He was referring to the reports that the head of Combined Joint Task Force Iraq, General William H. Seely III, had informed the Iraqi government of preparations to reposition the coalition forces "in due deference to t…
(2020-01-06). BREAKING: Soleimani was in Iraq to ease regional tensions; then Trump said 'Kill him'. liberationnews.org 
The Pentagon and the White House fully knew, when they ordered the airstrike to kill him, that Soleimani was traveling to Baghdad in a diplomatic capacity as an emissary of Iran, and that he had a meeting planned with the Prime Minister to discuss broader de-escalation.
(2020-01-06). Tide of people, anti-US chants, & sorrow as Tehran mourns death of General Soleimani & Iraqi militia commander (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com 
A massive funeral procession occupied the streets of Iran's capital as huge crowds of people — including the military's top brass — came to pay tribute to the deceased Quds Force commander and deputy chief of Iraq's Shia militia. | The remains of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force who was killed in a US air strike, was flown to Tehran after a day of funeral processions in Ahvaz and Mashhad. Bodies of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy chief of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and other "martyrs" who died alongside Soleimani in an American drone strike, also arrived in the…
(2020-01-06). Irán dará respuesta militar a asesinato de general, dice alto asesor. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON, 5 ene (Prensa Latina) Hossein Dehghan, asesor del líder supremo de Irán, ayatolá Ali Khamenei, manifestó hoy que su país dará una respuesta militar al asesinato por parte de Estados Unidos del general Qasem Soleimani. En entrevista exclusiva con la cadena de televisión CNN, el consejero militar sostuvo que Teherán tomaría represalias directamente contra …
(2020-01-06). Damage control: Trump admin backtracking on threat to target Iran's 'cultural sites' after international outrage. rt.com 
US administration officials are scrambling to walk back Donald Trump's suggestion that he would target Iranian cultural sites by denying that he ever made the threat, even after he doubled down. | Trump provoked widespread outrage with a tweet Saturday claiming that Washington had 52 Iranian sites in its crosshairs, some of which were "very important" to "Iranian culture." Those targets, he added, would be hit "very fast and very hard" if Tehran retaliated for the killing of top general Qassem Soleimani. ….targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some…
(2020-01-06). 'No Laughing Matter': Watch This Classic Anti-War George Carlin Routine US Rep. Ilhan Omar Shared. commondreams.org "I'm not a very good American because I like to form my own opinions," said the famous standup comic in 1992 following the first Gulf War. "I don't just roll over when I'm told to. Sad to say, most Americans just roll over on command—not me." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/george_carlin_anti-war.jpg …
(2020-01-06). Iraqi PM reveals Soleimani was on peace mission when assassinated, exploding Trump's lie of 'imminent attacks'. thegrayzone.com The Trump administration claimed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was planning "imminent attacks" on US interests when it assassinated him. That…
(2020-01-06). Buttigieg and Biden Are Masters of Evasion. counterpunch.org In a recent New Yorker profile of Pete Buttigieg, one sentence stands out: "Watch Buttigieg long enough and you notice that he uses abstraction as an escape hatch." Evasive platitudes are also routine for Joe Biden, the other major Democratic presidential candidate running in what mainstream journalists call "the center lane." Jim Hightower has observed that "there's More
(2020-01-06). Naomi Klein: Climate Solutions That Neglect Inequality Are Doomed to Fail. truthout.org California has warmed by approximately 3 degrees Fahrenheit (3 ∞F) over the last century. Heat waves are more common and increase the risk of wildfires in the state. What does climate justice look like, therefore, and for whom? Will cities grappling with environmental disasters consider the racial and economic inequalities that intersect with climate change action? Author and activist Naomi Klein has a few thoughts. | Laura Flanders: It's been a year since the Camp Fire. You went back th…