(2019-08-17). Trump's 'Deal of the Century': A plan for peace, or destruction? uwidata.com 
Trump's 'Deal of the Century' bills itself as an effort at establishing peace between Israel and Palestine, but in reality aims at advancing Israel's interests, and fundamentally altering the geopolitical balance of the Middle East. THE US' TRUE MOTIVATIONS The US established a new strategy in the Middle East after the end of World War …
(2019-08-17). Steele dossier 'pumped myths' into the US justice system — former Trump adviser Carter Page. rt.com 
The former MI6 agent credited with launching Russiagate concocted dangerous lies and myths that made a mockery of the US justice system and misled the American people, former Donald Trump campaign adviser Carter Page has told RT.
(2019-08-17). Hong Kong teachers' rally kicks off another weekend of protests. thecanary.co 
School teachers in Hong Kong are marching to the official residence of the city leader as another weekend of protests got under way.An overflow crowd rallied at a public square in the financial district before setting off for Government House, carrying signs that read "Protect the next generation" and umbrellas to ward off intermittent downpours.Teachers say they want to show their support for the protesters, many of whom are students.Pro-democracy protesters wait to cross a road during a march (Vincent Yu/AP)They said the government should answer the protesters' demands and stop using what they called police vio…
(2019-08-17). Good thing your grandma won't see you! Trump trolls Tlaib over refusal to visit Israel. rt.com 
US President Donald Trump has took another swipe at Rep. Rashida Tlaib, saying that the "only winner" of her decision to pass on an Israeli invitation to visit on "humanitarian grounds" was her 90-year-old Palestinian grandmother.
(2019-08-17). 'May God Ruin Him': Rashida Tlaib's Grandma on Trump. telesurenglish.net The grandmother of U.S. congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan slammed President Donald Trump after the latter made an insensitive comment on Twitter about her granddaughter. | RELATED: | Rashida Tlaib Blasts Israel for 'Oppressive Conditions' | Muftia Tlaib, the grandmother of House Representative Rashida Tlaib, responded to Trump's comments by stating "may God ruin him." ‚Äã‚ÄãNinety-year-old Muftia Tlaib, sitting in her garden in the village of…
(2019-08-17). Tlaib agrees to Israeli terms, then reverses herself on West Bank visit. wsws.org The events of the past two days have provided a fresh demonstration of the cowardice of the Democratic Party and the absence within it of any principled opposition to Donald Trump's authoritarian agenda.
(2019-08-17). Milwaukee VA workers fight union busting. fightbacknews.org Milwaukee, WI – Fifty Veterans Affairs workers and supporters rallied outside the Zablocki VA hospital August 12 to protest union-busting, attacks on high-quality public veteran healthcare, and bad faith bargaining by the VA administration. | The rally was organized by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 3 and supported by the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, Milwaukee Area Labor Council, Veterans for Peace and elected leaders including Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore and U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin. | AFGE members and representatives detailed shocking accounts of the ex…
(2019-08-17). The Hong Kong protests are an attack on socialism. fightbacknews.org There's a tendency among progressives in the United States to support big crowds of people protesting in other countries. No doubt, the corporate media assists in this process by labelling certain movements 'pro-democracy' or 'freedom fighters.' | But not all protests or marches are progressive, even if they attract large crowds. The Tea Party movement in the U.S., for instance, brought out hundreds of thousands of angry small business owners and shrill middle-class professionals. They were far from spontaneous demonstrations, however; big business orchestrated this giant spectacle to advance its own class intere…
(2019-08-17). Protest against police brutality to support the people of Hong Kong. indybay.org Embarcadero Plaza, Market St &, Steuart St, San Francisco…
(2019-08-17). Behind a made-for-TV Hong Kong protest narrative, Washington is backing nativism and mob violence. thegrayzone.com Hong Kong's increasingly xenophobic protests are devolving into chaos with help from US government regime-change outfits and a right-wing local…
(2019-08-17). Fire Consumes 15,000 Bangladeshi Homes in Dhaka. telesurenglish.net At least 15,000 homes were burnt to ashes after a Bangladeshi neighborhood in the capital of Dhaka caught fire late Friday night. | RELATED: | Bangladesh Court Puts Worker Safety at Risk by Closing Watchdog | The plastic roofs became kindling for the flames and enabled the spread of destruction throughout the low-income community of Chalantika. | No dea…
(2019-08-17). 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.)…
(2019-08-17). US Issues Arrest Warrant for Iranian Tanker Leaving Gibraltar. telesurenglish.net The United States issued a warrant to seize Iran's Grace 1 oil tanker before it leaves Gibraltar's waters in what appears to be a last ditch effort to prevent the vessel from continuing its journey into the Mediterranean. | RELATED: | UK Snubs Trump, Orders Release of Iranian Oil Tanker | A U.S. federal court issued the warrant this week to seize the Grace 1 in Gibraltar, along with all of its contents, which include the oil it carries and nearly US$1 million. | "A network of front comp…
(2019-08-17). Japan-South Korea conflict intensifies. wsws.org South Korea announced this week that it has removed Japan from a list of countries that qualify for accelerated supply of South Korean products, after Japan had imposed a similar measure against South Korea on August 2.
(2019-08-17). Questions continue over Russian nuclear accident. wsws.org The dangers associated with the rapidly accelerating global arms race are clear, even as questions remain over the nature of the nuclear explosion that occurred in Russia's far north last week.
(2019-08-17). The Dangerous New US Consensus on China and the Future of US-China Relations. truthout.org | | The trade war and technological competition with China are symptomatic of a much larger issue: a dangerous gridlock in US-China relations that may become permanent, with dire consequences not just for the two countries' economies but also for the global economy and quite possibly East Asia's and international security. Martin Wolf, Financial Times columnist, is right to conclude: "Across-the-board rivalry wit…
(2019-08-17). Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific. wsws.org The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
(2019-08-17). Blackwater mercenary Nicholas Slatten sentenced to life in prison for initiating 2007 Nisour Square Massacre. wsws.org Eight months after being found guilty a third time for first-degree murder, Slatten was sentenced Wednesday for his role in the notorious massacre in Baghdad during the height of the US occupation of Iraq.
(2019-08-17). Toni Morrison: The remarkable life of a remarkable woman. greenleft.org.au 
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(2019-08-17). 'Total Dehumanization': Trump Mocks Tlaib and 90-Year-Old Grandma Living Under Israeli Occupation. commondreams.org "He really put 'grandmother' in quotes like Palestinians are incapable of having family members." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/rashida_tlaib_3.jpg …
(2019-08-17). 'Bolton Is Desperate to Start a War': US Issues Warrant to Seize Iranian Oil Tanker. commondreams.org "Perfectly illustrates the U.S. trying to impose its domestic laws on the rest of the world. It should provoke worldwide outrage." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/iran_trump_bolton_pompeo.jpg …
(2019-08-17). The commodity and the making of "woman" mronline.org 
If we have little interest in the scholasticism and the baroque arcana of contemporary marxist theoretical debates, the wealth of marxist theory can be neither dismissed nor ignored. And debates around marxist inspired feminism are a case in point. | Source
(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). 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). Follow the money 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? Protests in Hong Kong routinely carry the US flag and photos of Donald Trump The . . . | Continue reading Follow the money 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). De-Facto Annexation of Kashmir Means India as a Secular State is Ending. therealnews.com 
Sidharth Bhatia, of the website The Wire, disucsses the "new roadmap for India," by which India practically annexed the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir. The policy is leading India ever more towards a state in which Muslims are to become second-class citizens…
(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). Trump proposes buying Greenland. peoplesworld.org 
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(2019-08-16). Romanticism and Literature: Serving Human Liberty? dissidentvoice.org 
Swift has sailed into his rest; Savage indignation there Cannot lacerate his breast. Imitate him if you dare, World-besotted traveller; he Served human liberty. — W. B. Yeats translation of Jonathan Swift's Latin epitaph. Introduction In this continuing series on the effects of Romantic and Enlightenment ideas on modern culture, I have looked at the …
(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 remain unclear and the suspect has yet to be identified.
(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). 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). North Korea Suspends Talks With South Korea Because of U.S. Sanctions. therealnews.com 
While U.S.-North Korea nuclear talks fail to proceed because of a lack of unanimity within the Trump administration, the North suspended peace talks with the South because of the U.S.'s refusal to lift economic sanctions, says Tim Shorrock…
(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). 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). Congresswoman Ilhan Omar Explains What She and Rep. Tlaib Planned to Accomplish Before Israel Barred Them. commondreams.org "The occupation is real. Barring members of Congress from seeing it does not make it go away. We must end it—together." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-1130260322.jpg …
(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). 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 imm…
(2019-08-16). Did Netanyahu Just Kill Washington's 'Pro-Israel' Consensus? thenation.com Did Netanyahu Just Kill Washington's 'Pro-Israel' Consensus?
(2019-08-16). What's Really Behind Trump's Israel Tweets. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's encouragement and support of Israel's decision to ban two Democratic lawmakers may play well to his political base, but it could endanger the foundations of the U.S.-Israel relationship in the longer term. | The move on Thursday to bar Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from Israel fueled a partisan fire over the Jewish state that has been raging in the United States, with Trump eagerly fanning the flames. | On Friday, though, Israel's interior minister, Aryeh Deri, said he had received and granted a request by Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupie…
(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). 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). UN Security Council discusses Kashmir, China urges India and Pakistan to ease tensions. un.org The Security Council considered the volatile situation surrounding Kashmir on Friday, addressing the issue in a meeting focused solely on the dispute, within the UN body dedicated to resolving matters of international peace and security, for the first time since 1965.
(2019-08-16). 'Quash' convictions and release women jailed for protesting against wearing veils in Iran, urge UN rights experts. un.org Decades-long prison sentences handed down to three women protesting the strictly enforced wearing of veils in Iran, have drawn alarm and condemnation from six United Nations independent human rights experts.
(2019-08-16). Friday's Daily Brief: Education key for Rohingya, DR Congo violence continues, Zimbabwe protest latest, women's rights in Iran, environmental protection. un.org Our main stories today: Two years in, Myanmar's Rohingya youth need more education; DR Congo testimonies highlight armed brutality; appeals for Zimbabwe to 'stop cracking down' on protesters; Iran urged to release women jailed for protesting veiling laws; and new human rights agreement on environmental protection.
(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). Myanmar 'Ready' for Repatriation of Rohingya Refugees Next Week. telesurenglish.net The Myanmar government said Friday it was prepared for Bangladesh to repatriate more than 3,600 Rohingya refugees who fled violence in the western state of Rakhine two years ago after a military-led crackdown against the Muslim minority. | RELATED: | At Least 18 Killed in Landslide at Jade Mine in Myanmar | The director-general of the international organization and economic department at Myanmar's foreign ministry, U Chan Aye, said his country was ready to start the process next Thurs…
(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). 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…