Butina's case is 'prosecutorial overreach': She did nothing illegal, but got 'harsh sentence' — freed gun activist's lawyer
rt.com | 2019-10-26
Russian gun activist Maria Butina, who has spent over a year behind bars in the US on charges of being an unregistered Russian lobbyist, was essentially innocent but was caught up in anti-Russian witch hunts, her lawyer told RT. | Butina came to the US on a student visa in 2016 and was actively involved in pro-gun circles, namely the National Rifle Association (NRA) with a stated goal of expanding gun laws in Russia, which are quite restrictive. Yet, she was detained by the FBI in July 2018 on suspicion of conspiring to infiltrate the lobby group to promote Russian interests in the US. | The American media…
rt.com/usa/471881-butina-lawyer-anti-russian-hysteria/

Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
wsws.org | 2019-10-26
While almost half a million Indian bank employees walked off the job, tens of thousands of teachers and healthcare workers across the sub-continent have engaged in strikes and protests.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/26/labo-o26.html

Trident Is the Crime
Kathy Kelly | commondreams.org | 2019-10-26
The trident symbol at Kings Bay Naval Base in Brunswick, Georgia covered in blood after a 2018 Catholic Workers protest. (Photo: Kings Bay Plowshares Seven) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trident.jpeg …
commondreams.org/views/2019/10/26/trident-crime?cd-origin=rss

Lebanese protesters keep up demands for the government's resignation
wsws.org | 2019-10-26
The protests have brought a quarter of Lebanon's six million people out onto the streets.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/26/leba-o26.html

Hillary Clinton Spoils the Party
Jacob Bacharach | truthdig.com | 2019-10-26
In the middle of October, Hillary Clinton managed to perform a minor political miracle. By baselessly speculating that Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, was a "favorite of the Russians" and preparing to run as an independent, she revived one of the more quixotic, eccentric and moribund campaigns of this election cycle while spoiling a primary that has proved shockingly substantive for a major party in the United States. | Gabbard "clapped back," tweeting that Hillary was "the queen of warmongers, embodiment of corruption, and personification of the rot that has sickened the Democratic Party." The congresswoman then p…
truthdig.com/articles/hillary-clinton-spoils-the-party/

Government loophole sacrificed $18 billion to Big Oil
Jordan Davidson | nationofchange.org | 2019-10-26
The loophole dates back to a 1995 law that urged companies to drill in the Gulf of Mexico by offering oil companies a break from paying royalties on the oil produced.
nationofchange.org/2019/10/26/government-loophole-sacrificed-18-billion-to-big-oil/

How Jho Low, Wanted For History's Biggest Heist, Parked His Money at an Obscure, Kuwaiti-Owned Bank
Atossa Araxia Abrahamian | theintercept.com | 2019-10-26
Before he was a fugitive, Jho Low's close relationship to a Kuwaiti royal helped grease his way into a bank on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean.
theintercept.com/2019/10/26/jho-low-1mbd-comoros-offshore-bank/

Cocaine, Heroin, Cannabis, Ecstasy: How Big is the Global Drug Trade?
Global Research News | globalresearch.ca | 2019-10-26
First published in May 2014 | Of relevance to the current debate on Heroin addiction and opioids in the USA. | Narcotics is big business. | 90 percent of the heroin consumed in the US comes from Afghanistan | *** | refresh if image fails …
globalresearch.ca/cocaine-heroin-cannabis-ecstasy-how-big-is-the-global-drug-trade-2/5381210

The Pentagon's Map of Afghanistan: An Eldorado of Mineral Wealth and Natural Resources
Nikolai Malishevski | globalresearch.ca | 2019-10-26
Of relevance to an understanding of America's ongoing military and economic agenda in Afghanistan as well as its confrontation with Russia and China. First published in August 2012 (translated from Russian) | Curious information surfaced in the media [2012] — based …
globalresearch.ca/the-pentagon-s-map-of-afghanistan-an-eldorado-of-mineral-wealth-and-natural-resources/32265

More evidence of cover-up of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan
wsws.org | 2019-10-26
The damning disclosures underscore why the government is intensifying its efforts to suppress media freedom.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/26/afgh-o26.html

Trump's Antiwar Speech Deserved a Better Reception
Maj. Danny Sjursen | truthdig.com | 2019-10-26
There were parts of President Trump's latest speech on Syria, which, if read without the sound of The Donald's gruff, bombastic voice, sounded a whole lot like Bernie Sanders might've delivered it. | That's right, sandwiched between Trump's standard braggadocio about how he single-handedly secured "a better future for Syria and for the Middle East," and his cynical pivot to decry his opponents' supposed desire to accept "unlimited migration from war-torn regions" across the U.S. border, was one of the s…
truthdig.com/articles/trumps-antiwar-speech-deserved-a-better-reception/

More Troops/Tanks To Syria Confirmed, OPCW Whistleblower, Barr's PreCrime & Mossad Clinton Blackmail
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-10-26
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (10/25/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-up/more-troops-tanks-to-syria-confirmed-opcw-whistleblower-barrs-precrime-mossad-clinton-blackmail/

Everyone Is Denouncing the Syrian Rebels Now Slaughtering Kurds. But Didn't the U.S. Once Support Some of Them?
Mehdi Hasan | theintercept.com | 2019-10-26
It's a lazy, cynical rewriting of history to pretend these groups have nothing to do with the U.S., or were never backed by the U.S., in their current form.
theintercept.com/2019/10/26/syrian-rebels-turkey-kurds-accountability/

Trump shifts from ending "forever wars" to sending tanks into Syria's oil fields
wsws.org | 2019-10-26
While pitched as a defense against ISIS, the proposed occupation of the oil fields is aimed at denying vital resources to Syria's government.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/26/syri-o26.html

Sri Lankan SEP holds inaugural presidential election meeting
wsws.org | 2019-10-26
Speakers explained that the Socialist Equality Party is the only one presenting an international socialist program for the working class and the poor.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/26/slmt-o26.html

Eightieth birthday tribute to Sri Lankan Trotskyist Nanda Wickremasinghe
wsws.org | 2019-10-26
Nanda Wickremasinghe, who turned 80 on October 15, is a founding member of the Sri Lankan section of the ICFI.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/26/wick-o26.html

Justice Department probe of Russia-Trump inquiry has become a "criminal investigation"
wsws.org | 2019-10-26
The Trump administration is using the Justice Department investigation as a counterweight to the House impeachment inquiry.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/26/dunh-o26.html

The Frenzy About Russia Has Undermined Progressive Agendas
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-10-26
When Donald Trump won the presidency, crucial questions begged to be addressed: How could it happen? Was Hillary Clinton seen by voters as too close to Wall Street, too aligned with wealthy elites? Was Bernie Sanders correct that loyalty to the billionaire class would undermine the Democratic ticket's appeal to working-class voters? | Those were hardly the kinds of questions that Democratic Party leaders and corporate media wanted to put in the national spotlight. Instead, they quickly shifted the focus [mdash…
truthout.org/articles/the-frenzy-about-russia-has-undermined-progressive-agendas/

US military allowed to shoot at vehicles at entry ports along southern border
wsws.org | 2019-10-25
Migrants at the US-Mexico border will be treated like suspected terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/25/bord-o25.html

Blowback: US-armed 'moderate rebels' slaughter Kurds in Syria
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-10-25
Amid outrage over Turkey's atrocities against Kurdish civilians northern Syria, Max Blumenthal discusses how some of the Syrian militias committing…
thegrayzone.com/2019/10/25/blowback-us-armed-moderate-rebels-slaughter-kurds-in-syria/

Seven Peace Activists Found Guilty of "Conspiracy" for Anti-Nuclear Protest
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-10-25
In Georgia, a federal grand jury on Thursday found seven Catholic peace activists guilty on three felony counts and a misdemeanor charge for breaking into the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base on April 4, 2018. The activists, known as the Kings Bay Plowshares 7, entered the base armed with hammers, crime scene tape, baby bottles containing their own blood, and an indictment charging the U.S. government with crimes against peace. The base is home to at least six nuclear ballistic missile submarines, ea…
truthout.org/video/seven-peace-activists-found-guilty-of-conspiracy-for-anti-nuclear-protest/

A Public Relations Scam: J Street Conference Attracts War Criminals and Zionist Liberals Alike
Miko Peled | mintpressnews.com | 2019-10-25
J Street was designed to make Zionists, particularly Israeli liberals, feel good about themselves and look good to the outside world without actually having to commit to peace.
mintpressnews.com/j-street-conference-attracts-war-criminals-zionist-liberals/262479/

Clashes in Northeastern Syria Put Turkish-Russian Memorandum at Risk
Sarah Abed | globalresearch.ca | 2019-10-25
On Tuesday, exactly two weeks after Ankara launched its cross border military operation "Operation Peace Spring", in northern Syria east of the Euphrates River, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Sochi for …
globalresearch.ca/clashes-northeastern-syria-put-turkish-russian-memorandum-risk/5693063

At Least 2 Dead, 350 Wounded as Major Anti-Government Protests Resume in Iraq
Middle East Eye | theantimedia.com | 2019-10-25
Iraqi security forces used tear gas and stun grenades to repel crowds marching towards the Green Zone.

At Least 2 Dead, 350 Wounded as Major Anti-Government Protests Resume in Iraq

Hezbollah Leader Calls for Protesters to Meet with Government
telesurenglish.net | 2019-10-25
Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned on Friday that nationwide protests could push the country into chaos, collapse and, "God forbid", civil war. | RELATED: | Lebanese President Vows to Meet with Protestes to Ease Tensions | Supporters of Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group with widespread influence in Lebanon, meanwhile scuffled with anti-government protesters who have been on the streets for days, angered by corruption and the near collapse of the econom…
telesurenglish.net/news/Hezbollah-Leader-Calls-for-Protesters-to-Meet-with-Government-20191025-0003.html

Protests planned in 20 countries against PUMA's support for illegal Israeli settlements
PACBI | bdsmovement.net | 2019-10-25
Protests planned in 20 countries against PUMA's support for illegal Israeli settlements: UpdateActions in more than 50 locations are planned as part of a coordinated initiative to protest PUMA's sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA), which includes football teams in illegal Israeli settlements. | Red Card Israel Boycott PumaOctober 26…
bdsmovement.net/news/protests-planned-20-countries-against-pumas-support-illegal-israeli-settlements

From Chile to Lebanon: Working class offensive sweeps the globe
wsws.org | 2019-10-25
The past week has seen a new stage in the eruption of the global class struggle, with mass protests bringing two seemingly disparate countries to a halt over what are undeniably similar grievances that are rooted in the historic and systemic crisis of the global capitalist system.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/25/pers-o25.html

All That is Holy is Profaned: Beyond Ruling Class Trumpeachment
Paul Street | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-25
Trump is both a policy and a public relations disaster for the American Empire, whose benefits revert to the wealthy Few and whose costs are born by the rest of us. He is hastening the end of the "The American Century." Trump is bad for the brand as well the operations of the Empire. In his small hands and big Twitter feed, the solid and doctrinally mandatory sense that "exceptional" and "good" America "stands taller and sees farther" (former Secretary of State Madeline Albright not long after she went on national television to proclaim that the killing of half a million Iraqi children by U.S.-imposed economic sa…
counterpunch.org/2019/10/25/all-that-is-holy-is-profaned-beyond-ruling-class-trumpeachment/

Tulsi Gabbard ditches congressional race to focus on presidential — triggering #TulsiStein conspiracy theorists
rt.com | 2019-10-25
Democratic presidential hopeful Tulsi Gabbard has abandoned her race for re-election in Hawaii to focus on securing her party's presidential nomination, kicking the 'Russian asset' conspiracy theorizing into high gear. | Gabbard announced on Friday that she would not seek re-election to Congress, declaring she would focus instead on the presidential race. Promising to "end our interventionist foreign policy of being the world's police, toppling dictators and governments we don't like, and redirect our precious resources towards serving the needs of the people here at home," she "humbly" asked her Hawaii consti…
rt.com/usa/471865-tulsi-gabbard-president-stein-conspiracy/

She Deserves Our Support: Betty McCollum Wants US to Stop Subsidizing Torture of Palestinian Children
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-25
In December 2018, 17-year-old Palestinian teen, Ayham Sabah, was sentenced by an Israeli military court to 35 years in prison for his alleged role in a stabbing attack targeting an Israeli soldier in an illegal Jewish settlement in the West Bank. Sabah was only 14 years old when the alleged attack took place. Another alleged…
counterpunch.org/2019/10/25/she-deserves-our-support-betty-mccollum-wants-us-to-stop-subsidizing-torture-of-palestinian-children/

US Reoccupation of Northern Syria? Turkish Aggression Halted?
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-10-25
Time and again, things aren't as they seem, Trump's ordered withdrawal of US forces from northern Syria the latest example — saying one thing, then going another way, going along with his geopolitical team's permanent war agenda. | Commenting on the …
globalresearch.ca/us-reoccupation-northern-syria-turkish-aggression-halted/5693041

Trump To Send Possibly Thousands Of Troops & Tanks To "Secure Syria's Oil" & Iraq Goes To UN Over US
Ryan Cristián | thelastamericanvagabond.com | 2019-10-25
Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (10/24/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …
thelastamericanvagabond.com/daily-wrap-up/trump-send-possibly-thousands-of-troops-tanks-to-secure-syrias-oil-iraq-goes-un-over-us/

Iraq Takes International Legal Action to Kick Unauthorized US Forces Out
Telesur | globalresearch.ca | 2019-10-25
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said United States troops withdrawing from northeast Syria do not have permission to stay in Iraq, adding that his government is taking "all international legal measures" in response to their unauthorized entry into the …
globalresearch.ca/iraq-takes-international-legal-action-kick-unauthorized-us-forces-out/5693051

Nepal benefits from end to open toilet use
United Nations | un.org | 2019-10-25
Sunaina lives in Majhi, a village of 104 people in Nepal's impoverished Terai region. Huts fashioned of mud, thatch and straw stand in a row along the shoulder of a dirt road that carves through rice fields, where Sunaina, and the majority of her neighbours earn their living.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/10/1050051

The NBA, China and Trump
Michael Doliner | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-25
How about the hapless NBA? Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets basketball team, tweeted support for the rioters in Hong Kong. The United States is openly fomenting this often quite violent insurrection. I have no idea whether Mr. Morey knew of the beating of the journalist Fu Guohao or the involvement of American official Julie Eadeh in…
counterpunch.org/2019/10/25/the-nba-china-and-trump/

The Essence of War
Ron Jacobs | counterpunch.org | 2019-10-25
Many US teenage boys in the late 1960s and early 1970s grew up wondering if they would end up in the jungles of Vietnam when they reached draft age. Some could hardly wait to go fight in their idealized version of honor and glory. Some knew by the time they were sixteen that they would…
counterpunch.org/2019/10/25/the-essence-of-war/

NIAC Statement on Increased U.S. Restrictions on Humanitarian Trade with Iran
commondreams.org | 2019-10-25
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/10/25/niac-statement-increased-us-restrictions-humanitarian-trade-iran?cd-origin=rss

Do You Own Puma Sportswear? Join #RebrandPuma!
PACBI | bdsmovement.net | 2019-10-25
Do You Own Puma Sportswear? Join #RebrandPuma! : Action AlertIf you purchased Puma gear before the company decided to support Israel's illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land, rebrand it by writing "Boycott" over the logo! | Red Card Israel Boycott PumaOctober 25, 2019 | By: | | Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) …
bdsmovement.net/rebrand-puma

NAM Summit: 'Venezuela Is Resisting And Overcoming', Maduro Says
telesurenglish.net | 2019-10-25
At the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Friday, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro lashed out at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and announced that the U.S. economic and financial aggressions are as lethal as its armies. | RELATED: | President Maduro Arrives for Non-Aligned Movement in Azerbaijan | The Bolivarian leader said that "the new modes of international war are economic aggressions" against the most vulnerable population groups, a…
telesurenglish.net/news/NAM-Summit-Venezuela-Is-Resisting-And-Overcoming-Maduro-Says-20191025-0002.html

Typhoon wreaks havoc in Japan
wsws.org | 2019-10-25
The storm was the most powerful to hit Japan in decades and is part of an uptick in natural disasters in the region influenced by warming seas.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/25/typh-o25.html

There's something that's ours on those streets and we're going to take it back
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-10-25
In Lebanon, it was a tax on the use of WhatsApp; in Chile, it was the rise in subway fares; in Ecuador and in Haiti, it was the cut in fuel subsidies. Each of these conjunctures brought people to the streets and then, as these people flooded the streets, more and more joined them. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/10/25/theres-something-thats-ours-on-those-streets-and-were-going-to-take-it-back/

George Soros says all his 'enemies' are wannabe dictators as he drops unprecedented wads of lobbying cash
rt.com | 2019-10-25
In the world of billionaire financier George Soros, his critics are "would-be dictators" who will not succeed. Meanwhile, under Trump, the Open Society founder has been pouring greater sums into lobbying than ever before. | "I'm very proud of the enemies I have," he told the New York Times in an interview published Friday, in which he confidently predicted the popular opposition to his globalist philosophy was winding down and that a backlash against Trump-style nationalism was on the horizon. | It's a perfect way to tell a dictator or a would-be dictator, if he identifies me as an enemy. | Soros slammed the U…
rt.com/usa/471880-soros-enemies-dictators-lobbying-china/

China, Brazil Meet and Agree To Bolster Strategic Cooperation
telesurenglish.net | 2019-10-25
China's policy to develop relations with Brazil from a strategic height and long-term perspective remains unchanged and their mutually beneficial cooperation will embrace a brighter future, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here Friday. | RELATED: | Bolsonaro To Harden Anti-Terrorist Law to Avoid 'Another Chile' | Xi's remarks came as he held talks with Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. | Xi said the world today is marked by…
telesurenglish.net/news/China-Brazil-Meet-and-Agree-To-Bolster-Strategic-Cooperation-20191025-0009.html

'It was meant to happen that way,' says driver who saved family from getting MOWED DOWN in viral VIDEO
rt.com | 2019-10-25
An Arizona woman has told reporters that she doesn't consider herself to be a hero after her car successfully redirected a red-light-running Jeep that was mere seconds away from hitting a family of three on a crosswalk. | The Phoenix Police Department posted dramatic video of the incident earlier this week. | A couple was calmly crossing the road on their way to a grocery store, while pushing a stroller with their 11-month-old son. A speeding SUV ran a red light, and was heading straight for the couple. The vehicle would have likely mowed down the entire family if it wasn't for a Chevrolet Cruze that collided…
rt.com/usa/471819-phoenix-angel-driver-incident/

Judge Hands Democrats a Victory in Impeachment Inquiry
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-10-25
WASHINGTON — A judge on Friday ordered the Justice Department to give the House secret grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, handing a victory to Democrats as they gather evidence for the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. | In a ruling that also affirmed the legality of the impeachment inquiry itself, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered the department to turn over the materials by Oct. 30. A Justice Department spokeswoman said it was reviewing the decision. The administration can appeal. | The ruling in favor of the House Judiciary Committee…
truthdig.com/articles/judge-hands-democrats-a-victory-in-impeachment-inquiry/

US Special Forces' Secrets Fall into Hands of Russians as Kurds Side with Syria
Joseph Fitsanakis | globalresearch.ca | 2019-10-25
American defence officials with knowledge of Special Operations Forces activities in Syria are concerned that their secrets may fall into the hands of the Russians, as the Kurds switch their allegiance to the Moscow-backed Syrian government. | IntelNews reports that members …
globalresearch.ca/consequences-us-special-forces-secrets-fall-russians-kurds-side-syria/5693046

Video: How Russian-Turkish 'Safe Zone' Deal Shapes Course of Syrian Conflict
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-10-25
The military crisis in northeastern Syria started by the Turkish military offensive on Kurdish militias amid the US troops withdrawal deflated. | On October 23, Turkey, Russia and Syria started implementing the 'safe zone' agreement reached by Turkish President Recep Tayyip …
globalresearch.ca/video-how-russian-turkish-safe-zone-deal-shapes-course-syrian-conflict/5693012

NATO defense ministers meet in Brussels to call for new Middle East wars
wsws.org | 2019-10-25
NATO officials began a two-day summit yesterday in Brussels, calling for new military escalation in the Middle East after the debacle of their eight-year war in Syria.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/10/25/nato-o25.html

The EU is Rewriting WWII History to Demonize Russia
Max Parry | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-10-25
Last month, on the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II, the European Parliament voted on a resolution entitled "On the Importance of European Remembrance for the Future of Europe." The adopted document: 2. Stresses that the Second World War, the most devastating war in Europe's history, was started as an immediate result of the …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/10/the-eu-is-rewriting-wwii-history-to-demonize-russia/

DOJ opens criminal probe into 'Russiagate' investigation after administrative review — report
rt.com | 2019-10-25
The US Department of Justice has reportedly moved to launch a criminal inquiry into the roots of the 'Russiagate' probe, which fizzled after failing to uncover any damning evidence of collusion between the US president and Moscow. | Also on rt.com | | Comey admits FBI failed to verify Steele Dossier it used to obtain a spy warrant on Trump's aide | A months-long review launched by Attorney General William Barr into the origins of the ill-fated Russia investigation, repeatedly denounced by US President Donald Trump as a "hoax" and a "witch hunt," h…
rt.com/usa/471785-russia-investigation-criminal-probe/