(2019-08-16). Man in bulletproof vest and knife prompts road closure near Israel embassy in Washington. rt.com 
A man armed with a knife and clad in a bulletproof vest has been taken into custody outside the Israeli Embassy in the US capital. His intentions were unclear, and the suspect has yet to be identified.
(2019-08-16). Democrats accuse Israel of implementing 'Trump's Muslim ban' over Omar-Tlaib block. rt.com 
Rep. Ilhan Omar has accused Israel of implementing US President Donald Trump's "Muslim ban" by denying her entry, to cheers of Democrats happy to denounce Trump, but raised eyebrows from conservatives and Israelis.
(2019-08-16). Trump Tweets, Then Netanyahu Bans Reps. Ilhan Omar & Rashida Tlaib From Israel. therealnews.com 
Jim Zogby and Phyllis Bennis discuss the Trump-Netanyahu dynamic, the diminishing power of AIPAC, and the political battle against Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib…
(2019-08-16). Tlaib Declines to Visit West Bank, Citing Israeli Conditions. truthdig.com 
Israel releases a letter purportedly signed by Rep. Tlaib, in which she promises not to advocate boycotts of Israel during her visit to her grandmother.
(2019-08-16). Trump proposes buying Greenland. peoplesworld.org 
…
(2019-08-16). What's behind Hong Kong protests? workers.org 
The demonstrations in Hong Kong, now an open confrontation with the People's Republic of China, have a global impact. What are the forces behind this movement? What provides the funds and who stands to benefit? The increasingly violent demonstrations in Hong Kong are completely embraced and enthusiastically supported in the . . . | Continue reading What's behind Hong Kong protests? at Workers.org
(2019-08-16). 'Expanding Empire' — in 1969 and today. workers.org 
The following excerpt from "Expanding Empire — The global war drive of big business and the forces that will stop it" was written in 1969 during the Vietnam War. The author, Vince Copeland, was a founding member of Workers World Party and had been a militant steel worker fired in . . . | Continue reading 'Expanding Empire' — in 1969 and today at Workers.org
(2019-08-16). Dead Man's Hand: The Impeachment Gambit. counterpunch.org 
The two-year Mueller investigation of Donald Trump's alleged collusion ("largely synonymous with conspiracy") with Russia is over. Nothingburger. The 448-page Mueller Report has been published in full, and made into a dramatic hour-and-twenty-minute stage performance adapted by a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright with a cast of Hollywood stars. Yawn. Then there was the seven hours of More
(2019-08-16). History often proceeds by jumps and zig-zags. mronline.org 
The main conflict here — since the 1940s — has been between India and Pakistan. Disagreements are deeply rooted in the political culture of each country. The rise of the far right in India has only inflamed the conflict further. | Source
(2019-08-16). The War on Nature. counterpunch.org 
Ancient Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Chinese and Indians respected or worshipped several gods. Those gods were usually forces of nature, which opened the mind, eyes and hearts of human beings to the mysteries, beauty and truth of the natural world. The vast human majorities of the ancient world were peasant farmers and shepherds who cultivated More
(2019-08-16). Rashida Tlaib Blasts Israel for 'Oppressive Conditions'. telesurenglish.net U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib blasted Israel on Friday for imposing "oppressive conditions" on her visit to the occupied West Bank. | RELATED: | Israel Reverses Ban on US Congresswoman Tlaib | Israel, who was conditionally allowing Tlaib to visit the occupied West Bank, issued a list of demands for the U.S. congresswoman that prohibited her from promoting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) during her stay. | The U.S. congresswoman, in turn, said she would not visit her family there…
(2019-08-16). A dictatorial move: Trump blocks travel to Israel by two congresswomen. wsws.org The intervention by the president to block travel by representatives Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar is another blow against the US constitutional framework.
(2019-08-16). Bernie Sanders: If Israel Bans Members of Congress, It Shouldn't Receive US Aid. truthout.org | | Sen. Bernie Sanders told MSNBC Thursday night that perhaps Israel should not be receiving billions of dollars in U.S. military aid after the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from entering the country. | "I wish I could tell you…that I am shocked. I am not," Sanders, a 2020 Demo…
(2019-08-16). Israel Fears a Visit by Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. counterpunch.org On July 16, Somali-American Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar, together with Representatives John Lewis and Palestinian-American Rashida Tlaib, introduced bill HR-496 which is meant to affirm Americans' "right to participate in boycotts in pursuit of civil and human rights at home and abroad, as protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution". Though not explicitly mentioned, HR-496 is at least More
(2019-08-16). Israel Reverses Ban on US Congresswoman Tlaib. telesurenglish.net Israel has decided to reverse the ban on U.S. congresswoman Rashida Tlaib Friday after she agreed to just visit her family in the occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds. | RELATED: | Israel Confirms Banning Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib from Visiting Palestine Over BDS Support | Tlaib, a critic of Israeli policy towards Palestinians, has agreed to respect the restrictions imposed on her during the occupied West Bank trip and will not promote the Boyco…
(2019-08-16). Israel bans Representatives Omar and Tlaib from entering Palestine. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) have joined the ranks of thousands of human rights activists and millions of diaspora Palestinians who have been denied entry to Palestine by the occupying Israeli regime. | Reps. Omar and Tlaib had planned a congressional trip to the West Bank for next week, initially agreed to by the Israeli regime "out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America." However, on August 15 Israel announced a reversal of its previous decision and banned the delegation's entrance. | The announcement came…
(2019-08-16). Protest against police brutality to support the people of Hong Kong. indybay.org Embarcadero Plaza, Market St &, Steuart St, San Francisco…
(2019-08-16). Bernie Sanders Fires Back at Netanyahu and Israel. truthdig.com In a new interview with MSNBC, the Vermont senator calls the decision to bar two U.S. congresswomen from entering the country an "outrage."
(2019-08-16). From Jerusalem, A Letter to Jared Kushner. commondreams.org President Donald Trump talks with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jared Kushner in Jerusalem, May 22, 2017. (Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/nety_0.jpeg …
(2019-08-16). As China masses troops on border, Trump calls for end to Hong Kong "problem" wsws.org The US president solidarised himself with his Chinese counterpart in the "tough business" of dealing with social unrest.
(2019-08-16). Palestine: Dangerous Bill in US Congress to Crush the PLO and the PA. globalresearch.ca A bipartisan US bill currently being considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee puts at stake the ability of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to engage diplomatic and legal channels to support Palestinian national aspirations and to seek accountability through international …
(2019-08-16). A Wave of Solidarity With Kashmir Is Spreading Across the Globe. truthout.org | | Tragedy is unfolding in Kashmir. Split between India and Pakistan, the state has been under military occupation as a result of the partition of the subcontinent in 1947 and a war between the two powers the following year. On August 5, however, the right-wing Bha…
(2019-08-16). Trump worsens threat of nuclear catastrophe with Russia. thegrayzone.com MIT professor Ted Postol warns that Trump's withdrawal from the INF treaty threatens nuclear 'catastrophe.' Guest: Theodore Postol, award-winning Professor…
(2019-08-16). What Explains Russia and China's Differing Stances towards Kashmir? globalresearch.ca Russia and China, two of the most important Great Powers that are jointly working to accelerate the emergence of the Multipolar World Order, are on totally opposite sides when it comes to Kashmir, with their differing stances being explained by …
(2019-08-16). South Yemen Is Already Functionally Independent Even if It's Not Recognized as Such. globalresearch.ca The Southern Transitional Council's liberation of the former South Yemeni capital of Aden from the Saudi-backed Islah Islamists has restored the independence of the Old Cold War-era country. | STC vs. Islah | It was bound to happen sooner than later, but …
(2019-08-16). George W. Bush's Infuriating Innocence Project. commondreams.org US President George Bush addresses the nation during his State of the Union address from Capitol Hill in Washington 20 January 2004. Bush vowed that the United States "will never seek a permission slip" to go to war as he took aim in his annual State of the Union speech at critics of the invasion of Iraq. At left is Vice President Dick Cheney; at right House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-IL. (Photo: Kevin Lamarque/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/george_w_bush_war_criminal.jpg …
(2019-08-16). 'Official Secrets' Reveals How Little We Still Know About the Push for War in Iraq. thenation.com 'Official Secrets' Reveals How Little We Still Know About the Push for War in Iraq…
(2019-08-16). The Microplastic Threat. counterpunch.org When Chelsea Rochman at the University of Toronto and colleagues began their study on medakas (small Japanese rice paddy fish), they did not expect to find what they did. They first soaked ground-up polyethylene in San Diego Bay for three months and then fed it to these fish along with a laboratory diet. They also fed the More
(2019-08-16). Iran's Dangerous Deterrence Policy: Trading Tankers and Another Partial Withdrawal from the JCPOA. globalresearch.ca The UK acknowledged its first defeat by Iran when it released the Iranian super tanker "Grace 1" captured by 30 Royal Navy commandos in the first week of July in response to a US request, as the Spanish Foreign …
(2019-08-16). The Plot to Attack Iran:‚Ä® How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Iran. indybay.org NPML, 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland (just North of Alcatraz Ave.)…
(2019-08-16). Iran tanker released in Gibraltar despite US bid to seize it. wsws.org The decision to release the tanker, formally declared by Gibraltar, but clearly made in London, exposes rising tensions over Washington's "maximum pressure" policy.
(2019-08-16). Refusing to Be Humiliated, Rashida Tlaib Rejects Israel's Restrictive Conditions on Visiting Palestine. commondreams.org "What Israel proposed to Rashida Tlaib was their age-old proposition: you can stay in your homeland as a humanitarian exception—without political rights—and on condition you surrender and cease to resist." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/rashida_tlaib_4.jpg …
(2019-08-16). Sanders Says If Israel Wants to Ban Members of Congress, It Should Not Receive Billions in US Military Aid. commondreams.org "The idea that a member of the United States Congress cannot visit a nation which, by the way, we support to the tune of billions and billions of dollars is clearly an outrage." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/bernie_sanders_16.jpg …
(2019-08-16). Trump Administration Advances Massive Arms Sale to Taiwan Amid Tensions With Beijing. commondreams.org The new potential sale reportedly includes dozens of F-16 fighter jets | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/taiwan-trump-f16s.jpg …
(2019-08-16). What Is Israel Trying to Hide? Reps. Tlaib & Omar Blocked from Taking Official Trip to West Bank. democracynow.org 
Israel sparked outrage Thursday when it banned two freshman Democratic congresswomen of color — Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — from entering the country. Following outcry from Democratic leaders and Palestinians, Israel granted permission for Tlaib to enter the country on "humanitarian" grounds to visit her family in the West Bank — though Tlaib said Friday she will not visit her family under such conditions. Israel originally denied entrance to Tlaib and Omar after President Donald Trump tweeted, "It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep.Tl…
(2019-08-16). Headlines for August 16, 2019. democracynow.org Israel Bars Reps. Omar & Tlaib from Official Trip to West Bank Due to Their Support for BDS, 11 Die in Kashmir as Pakistani & Indian Troops Exchange Fire, U.S. Puts Pressure on Crew of Iranian Oil Tanker Seized in July, North Korea Test-Fires Two Missiles as It Rejects New Talks with S. Korea, NOAA: July Was Officially the Hottest Month on Record, Australia Accused of Watering Down Pacific Island Climate Agreement, Study: Surge in Methane Gas Emissions Is Linked to Fracking Boom, 270 Die, 1 Million Displaced in India from Heavy Monsoon Rains, Federal Court: Trump Admin Can't Deny Soap & Toothpaste to Migrant Chil…
(2019-08-16). Toni Morrison: The remarkable life of a remarkable woman. greenleft.org.au 
…
(2019-08-16). India turns Kashmir into a giant prison. greenleft.org.au 
Susan PriceIssue 1233 Kashmir 2019 Indian occupation of KashmirThe left in India and Pakistan is united in opposing the decision by Narendra Modi's BJP government on August 5 to unilaterally revoke Kashmir's autonomy, send in troops, impose a curfew and shut down all communications. | Pakistan's Awami Workers' Party spokes…
(2019-08-16). Rojava an example of ecosocialism. greenleft.org.au 
Make Rojava Green AgainIssue 1233 Northern Syria Rojava revolution ecosocialismIn 2011, in the context of the Arab Spring, a civil war began in Syria, pitting various armed groups against President Bashar al-Assad's regime. | Rapidly, a Kurdish-majorit…
(2019-08-16). Solidarity shown with Kashmir. greenleft.org.au self-determination Peter BoyleIssue 1233 Australia India Kashmir military curfewActi…
(2019-08-16). For Years, Reporters Questioned the Terror Prosecution of Hamid Hayat. Now He's Been Freed. theintercept.com 
After spending 14 years in prison on charges that he attended a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, Hamid Hayat was freed on August 9 following a California judge's decision to overturn the conviction. | From the start, Hayat's case had been controversial. | The government's star witness, Naseem Khan, was a fast-food worker earning $7 per hour before the FBI enlisted him as an informant and paid him nearly $230,000 over three years. Khan came to the FBI's attention about a month after the September 11 terrorist attacks by claiming to have information about a visit to the United States by Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama…
(2019-08-16). With the Boeing 737 MAX Grounded, Top Boeing Bosses Must Testify Before Congress Now. counterpunch.org 
Two Boeing 737 MAX crashes, one in Indonesia last October and one in Ethiopia this past March, took a combined 346 lives. Steady scrutiny by the media reported internal company leaks and gave voice to sidelined ex-Boeing engineers and aerospace safety specialists. These experts have revealed that Boeing's executives are responsible because they chose to use an unstable structural More
(2019-08-16). Citing 'oppressive conditions,' Rep. Tlaib signals she won't visit Israel after entry ban reversal. rt.com 
US congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Michigan) has indicated that she will not travel to Israel to visit relatives, after Tel Aviv reversed its earlier decision to deny her entry. The US lawmaker had requested that the ban be lifted.
(2019-08-15). End endless conflict and bring peace to Korea. peoplesworld.org 
July 27 marked the 66th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice, which brought an end to hostilities that killed nearly five million people, including almost 40,000 U.S. service members. The war ended in a temporary cease-fire, which is why the United States still maintains 28,500 troops in South Korea. Nuclear missiles ring the …
(2019-08-15). Turkey: Women's group offers solidarity to Syrian refugees. peoplesworld.org 
Women in Turkey have come together and sent a message of solidarity with thousands of Syrian refugees being deported as authorities crack down across Istanbul. The Yoƒüurtàßu Women's Forum met in Turkey's largest city to discuss the plight of the country's 3.6 million Syrian refugees as the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government implements a …
(2019-08-15). Trump's Ignorance Touches Off a New Crisis in Kashmir. truthdig.com 
South Asia is again in crisis and could be on the brink of war. For the second time in six months, the world is on tenterhooks, waiting to see what turn events will take. Because the two antagonists are armed with nuclear weapons, the possibility of a confrontation is taken seriously. And as has happened before, Kashmir is at the center of the dispute that has kept India and Pakistan at loggerheads for over 70 years. | The simmering cauldron came to a boil about 10 days ago, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, flush after a landslide electoral victory, revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which e…
(2019-08-15). Russians everywhere! Biden aide cries 'spy plane' about normal treaty flight over US. rt.com 
A routine Russian flight to Hawaii under the Open Skies treaty has been invoked by a former senior Obama administration official to stir up panic among the 'Russiagate' holdovers, proving some conspiracies just refuse to go away.
(2019-08-15). US Navy expert laments 'Slav' incompetence of new NATO navies in scary Russia essay. rt.com 
NATO's Eastern European member states have terrible navies that suffer from "legacy concepts" and equipment and can't do much against Russia, a prominent professor lamented, asking the US Navy to do something about it.
(2019-08-15). Germany Shows Signs of Recession — Is the Global Economy Next? therealnews.com 
Heiner Flassbeck argues that the China-US trade war is not having as much of an impact on the global economy as many assume. China's currency is not undervalued, despite its recent devaluation. Rather, the undervalued Euro gives Germany a real competitive advantage in world trade. It's actually Europe's economic weakness that is dragging down Germany,…
(2019-08-15). Reps Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar Banned from Israel. commondreams.org ______________________________…