Heroin Addiction in America Spearheaded by US-led War on Afghanistan
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-31
Afghanistan under US military occupation produces approximately 90% of the World's illegal supply of opium which is used to produce heroin. The production of opium in Afghanistan has registered a 49 fold increase since 2001.
globalresearch.ca/trumps-hypocritical-concern-on-heroin-addiction-sustained-by-us-led-war-on-afghanistan/5628138

'CA has decriminalized illegal alien crime': Outrage as Kate Steinle's killer's conviction tossed
rt.com | 2019-08-31
A California appeals court has thrown out the conviction of an illegal immigrant who shot a woman on a San Francisco pier after escaping deportation due to the city's sanctuary policy, triggering further outrage. | Jose Ines Garcia Zarate's conviction on charges of being a convicted felon in possession of a gun was thrown out by a California state appeals court on Friday, reviving the furor over a case that has defined the immigration debate. The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled the judge failed to offer the jury the option of acquitting the Mexican national on the theory he only possessed the weapon "for a…
rt.com/usa/467663-zarate-conviction-overturned-kate-steinle/

Hong Kong Police Storm Subway With Batons Amid Fiery Protests
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-08-31
HONG KONG–Protesters in Hong Kong threw gasoline bombs at government headquarters and set fires in the streets on Saturday, while police stormed a subway car and hit passengers with batons and pepper spray in scenes that seem certain to inflame tensions further in a city riven by nearly three months of pro-democracy demonstrations. | Police had denied permission for a march to mark the fifth anniversary of a decision by China against fully democratic elections in Hong Kong, but protesters took to the streets anyway, as they have all summer. They provoked and obstructed the police repeatedly but generally re…
truthdig.com/articles/hong-kong-police-storm-subway-with-batons-amid-fiery-protests/

During Global Month of Action For Yemen, SF Protesters Make Demands of Pelosi
End the Genocide in Yemen | indybay.org | 2019-08-31
As separatists and government-backed forces battle for control of the Yemeni capital, innocent civilians suffer. Yemeni-Americans and allies gathered in front of San Francisco's federal building on August 16 with a message for Nancy Pelosi. | PHOTOS: Please credit the photographer as noted | Cornelia Grimes, Pro Bono Photo.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/29/18825802.php

Anti-War Protest: U.S. Out of Yemen
SF Demo | indybay.org | 2019-08-31
As separatists and government-backed forces battle for control of the Yemeni capital, innocent civilians suffer. Yemeni-Americans and allies gathered in front of San Francisco's federal building on August 16 with a message for Nancy Pelosi. | PHOTOS: Please credit the photographer as noted | Terry Scussel, Pro Bono Photo.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/08/29/18825818.php

Why Are Hong Kong Protesters Asking Trump for Help?
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-08-31
Journalist Ilaria Maria Sala discusses the arrest and release of demonstration "leaders," the history of Hong Kong's struggle for democracy, American involvement in the protests, and the complexity of the current movement…
therealnews.com/stories/why-are-hong-kong-protesters-asking-trump-for-help

GOP Hardliners Want China Sanctioned
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-31
Time and again, the US, its key NATO allies and Israel blame their victims for wrongdoing committed against them. | According to the Daily Beast, Republicans are pushing for sanctions on China over how Hong Kong authorities are handling months …
globalresearch.ca/gop-hardliners-want-china-sanctioned/5687669

US/North Korea Talks Undermined by Pompeo and Bolton
Stephen Lendman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-31
Trump's "fire and fury like the world has never seen" remark about North Korea shifted to the appearance of friendship with Kim Jong-un, DJT saying "(h)e wrote me beautiful letters and we fell in love." | Two summits and Trump's …
globalresearch.ca/us-north-korea-talks-pompeo-bolton/5687697

Matan Kahana: Will Ultra-Right Candidates Upset Netayahu's Re-Election Plans?
Miko Peled | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-31
It is hard to imagine what it means to be to the "right of the Likud" or the "right of Netanyahu." However, Matan Kahana claims that he and his party are just that and so a vote for them will ensure a strong right-wing voice in the Israeli Knesset, as though that is what is missing from Israeli politics.
mintpressnews.com/matan-kahana-ultra-right-israel-candidates-upset-netayahu/261592/

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell hits Russiagate Rock Bottom
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-31
Aaron Maté slams MSNBC's latest Russiagate dud, exposing how Lawrence O'Donnell's embarrassing retraction is part of a pattern of bogus…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/31/aaron-mate-demolishes-lawrence-odonnells-embarrassing-russiagate-retraction/

The Best Movie Ever Made About the Truth Behind the Iraq War Is "Official Secrets"
Jon Schwarz | theintercept.com | 2019-08-31
"Official Secrets," which opened Friday in New York and Los Angeles, is the best movie ever made about how the Iraq War happened. It's startlingly accurate, and because of that, it's equally inspiring, demoralizing, hopeful, and enraging. Please go see it. | It's been forgotten now, but the Iraq War and its abominable consequences — the hundreds of thousands of deaths, the rise of the Islamic State group, the nightmare oozing into Syria, arguably the presidency of Donald Trump — almost didn't happen. In the weeks before the U.S.-led invasion on March 19, 2003, the American and British case for war was…
theintercept.com/2019/08/31/official-secrets-iraq-war-film/

Video: Syrian Army Further Advances in Greater Idlib
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-31
The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies responded to recent militant attacks near Abu Dail with a limited offensive in the area. | In the first phase of the offensive, SAA units liberated Khuwayn al-Kabir, Ard al-Zurzur, the Aghir hilltop, …
globalresearch.ca/video-syrian-army-advances-greater-idlib/5687679

The Pakistani PM needs to realise that nuclear warfare is never the answer
Afroze Fatima Zaidi | thecanary.co | 2019-08-31
In an op-ed in the NY Times, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has addressed the situation in Kashmir. With India's military crackdown in Kashmir still ongoing, Khan has made an appeal to world leaders, and India in particular, to open dialogue on the issue. | The bulk of the a…
thecanary.co/opinion/2019/08/31/the-pakistani-pm-needs-to-realise-that-nuclear-warfare-is-never-the-answer/

'It's Too Much Land For So Few Indians', Jair Bolsonaro Holds
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-31
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro made new statements on Friday against the demarcation of indigenous lands in the Amazon saying he intends to review the areas previously assigned to ancestral communities. | RELATED: | Bolsonaro Calls On Trump To Help Put Out Amazon Fires | "It is too much land for so few Indians, and without lobbying. What are the interests behind this…
telesurenglish.net/news/Its-Too-Much-Land-For-So-Few-Indians-Jair-Bolsonaro-Holds-20190831-0006.html

Video: Yemen's Houthis Carry Out Drone Strike on Saudi Capital
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-31
The Ansar Allah movement carried out a new series of strikes on Saudi Arabia in the framework of their operations to oppose the Kingdom-led intervention of Yemen. | On August 25, Yemeni forces fired 10 short-range ballistic missiles at military sites …
globalresearch.ca/video-yemen-houthis-drone-strike-saudi-capital/5687702

Police release audio recording of woman drowning during 911 call
Andrew Emett | nationofchange.org | 2019-08-31
"I understand that listening to a person going through the panic that Ms. Stevens was in those final moments of her life, we would all hope that we would get a little bit better response than perhaps she was given."
nationofchange.org/2019/08/31/police-release-audio-recording-of-woman-drowning-during-911-call/

Will Rouhani meet Trump?
Mazda Majidi | liberationnews.org | 2019-08-31
Washington's foreign policy establishment is dominated by "Iran Hawks," headed by National Security Adviser John Bolton.
liberationnews.org/will-rouhani-meet-trump/

Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and New Zealand
wsws.org | 2019-08-31
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/31/labo-a31.html

Australia's Foreign Fighters: The Temporary Exclusion "Solution"
Dr. Binoy Kampmark | asia-pacificresearch.com | 2019-08-31
asia-pacificresearch.com/australia-foreign-fighters/5628863

The Pentagon's Map of Afghanistan: An Eldorado of Mineral Wealth and Natural Resources
Nikolai Malishevski | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-31
Of relevance to an understanding America's military and economic agenda in Afghanistan. First published in August 2012 | Curious information surfaced in the media [2012] — based on space reconnaissance, the US Department of Defense put together a map of Afghanistan …
globalresearch.ca/the-pentagon-s-map-of-afghanistan-an-eldorado-of-mineral-wealth-and-natural-resources/32265

A Conspiracy Theory That Became a "Conspiracy Fact": The CIA, Afghanistan's Poppy Fields and America's Growing Heroin Epidemic
Timothy Alexander Guzman | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-31
First published by Global Research in July 2016 | The heroin epidemic resembles the days when "Crack cocaine" became the major drug that destroyed communities across the United States and other parts of the world including the Caribbean that began in …
globalresearch.ca/a-conspiracy-theory-that-became-a-conspiracy-fact-the-cia-afghanistans-poppy-fields-and-americas-growing-heroin-epidemic/5533673

Putin Balances Turkish Fighter Jet Interest with Syria's Fight Against Terrorism
Sarah Abed | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-31
On Tuesday, the biennial MAKS-2019 International Aviation and Space Show kicked off in Russia's Zhukovsky International Airport. This important event has drawn spectators, journalists, and photographers from around the world every odd year since 1992. What began as an entertaining …
globalresearch.ca/putin-balances-turkish-fighter-jet-interest-syria-fight-against-terrorism/5687663

Humanity Denied: What Is Missing from the Omar, Tlaib Story
Ramzy Baroud | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-30
Israel's decision to bar two United States Democratic Representatives, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, from entering Israel and visiting Palestine has further exposed the belligerent, racist nature of the Israeli government. But our understanding of the Israeli decision, and the massive controversy and discussion it generated, should not stop there. Palestinians, who have been at…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/30/humanity-denied-what-is-missing-from-the-omar-tlaib-story/

Millions of Residents Wait in Fear of Being Stateless in India
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-30
Millions of people are waiting in northeast of India with fear of being declared stateless as authorities were set to publish a citizenship list on Saturday that aims to identify as "illegal", undocumented immigrants who have settled in the region over the past several decades. | RELATED: | India's Top Court to Hear Challenge on Revoking of Kashmir Special Status | The preparation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam began in 2015 to determine "legitimate" inhabit…
telesurenglish.net/news/Millions-of-Residents-Wait-in-Fear-of-Being-Stateless-in-India-20190830-0010.html

Justice demanded for "comfort women"
Joe Piette | workers.org | 2019-08-30
Three young activists, biking across the U.S. from Los Angeles to New York City, stopped in Philadelphia on Aug. 26 to raise awareness about the issue of justice for women once held in military sexual slavery by Japan. As part of the Triple A Project to educate the public about . . . | Continue reading Justice demanded for "comfort women" at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/08/29/justice-demanded-for-comfort-women/

Communist Party USA: 100 years in struggle for peace, democracy, socialism
People's World Editorial Board | peoplesworld.org | 2019-08-30
One hundred years ago this weekend, on Sept. 1, 1919, 128 women and men, meeting in a hall in Chicago, founded the Communist Party of America. In their founding Manifesto, the members declared: "The world is on the verge of a new era. Europe is in revolt. The masses of Asia are stirring uneasily. Capitalism …
peoplesworld.org/article/communist-party-usa-100-years-in-the-struggle-for-peace-democracy-and-socialism/

Hong Kong mass rally banned as Chinese troops deployed in show of force
wsws.org | 2019-08-30
Beijing is well aware that the protracted protests are being driven by underlying student and working class concerns about escalating social inequality.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/30/hong-a30.html

Noam Chomsky and John Pilger offer support for a British pro-Palestinian journalist facing censorship
Afroze Fatima Zaidi | thecanary.co | 2019-08-30
This article was updated on 30 August at 6pm to include a quote from John Pilger. | A petition to reinstate pro-Palestine journalist Asa Winstanley's press pass for the Labour Party conference has gained considerable support. Noam Chomsky, John Pilger, an…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2019/08/30/noam-chomsky-and-john-pilger-offer-support-for-a-british-pro-palestinian-journalist-facing-censorship/

Israel increases attacks on Iran allies amid deepening ties to UAE, Saudi
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-30
The recent Israeli bombings of Iranian-allied groups in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria come amid deepening ties between Israel and the…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/30/israel-attacks-iran-uae-saudi/

'SpaceCom' is Trump's Response to Threats From China and Russia
telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-30
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday the creation of the "Space Command" (Spacecom), a new institution whose mission will be to protect the interests of his country in space, which is considered as a realm that the United States, China and Russia are disputing. | RELATED: | Trump Cancels Trip, Florida on Alert as Hurricane Strengthens…
telesurenglish.net/news/SpaceCom-is-Trumps-Response-to-Threats-From-China-and-Russia-20190830-0003.html

The Pentagon's New Missile Drive Is Bringing Armageddon Closer
Michael T. Klare | thenation.com | 2019-08-30
The Pentagon's New Missile Drive Is Bringing Armageddon Closer…
thenation.com/article/inf-treaty-pentagon-nuclear-weapons-russia-china/

Does scathing Comey report preview a Russiagate reckoning?
Aaron Maté | thegrayzone.com | 2019-08-30
A scathing DOJ report rebukes former FBI director Jim Comey for leaks about the Trump-Russia investigation. Scholar and author Stephen…
thegrayzone.com/2019/08/30/scathing-comey-report-russiagate-reckoning/

Video: Militants' Failed Terror Attack in Eastern Idlib Ends in Disaster
South Front | globalresearch.ca | 2019-08-30
On August 27, joint forces of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other militant groups launched an attack on positions of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) near the town of Abu Dali in southern Idlib. Clashes between the SAA and militants erupted …
globalresearch.ca/video-militants-failed-terror-attack-in-eastern-idlib-ends-in-disaster/5687612

Roots of the Kashmir conflict
Siddika Degia | workers.org | 2019-08-30
The writer is a Muslim woman born in a rural village in Gujarat, India. India, one of the oldest civilizations, fell under British colonial rule starting in the late 1700s. With British imperialism came the reinforcement of dividing people by religious groups, castes, languages spoken and nationalities, so that the . . . | Continue reading Roots of the Kashmir conflict at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/08/29/roots-of-the-kashmir-conflict/

India crows over US support for its assault on Kashmir
wsws.org | 2019-08-30
For almost four weeks, Jammu and Kashmir has been under a state of siege, with cell phone and internet service suspended, thousands held without charge, and security forces terrorizing the population.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/30/kash-a30.html

Georgia communities organize against toxic gas
Dianne Mathiowetz | workers.org | 2019-08-30
Two community meetings on Aug. 19 and 20 were packed with angry and anxious residents of the metro Atlanta towns of Smyrna and Covington. People were demanding answers about the use of the toxic gas, ethylene oxide (ETO), at area medical sterilization plants. More than 1,000 people filled the Cobb . . . | Continue reading Georgia communities organize against toxic gas at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/08/29/georgia-communities-organize-against-toxic-gas/

Trump targets China's century-old debt in latest trade war maneuver — report
rt.com | 2019-08-30
The Trump administration may be eyeing long-defaulted Chinese bonds as a weapon in its ongoing trade war with Beijing, according to people who hold the antique debt and say they've met with the president to discuss it. | Trump's top trade warriors are "studying" the possibility of calling in century-old debts incurred by China before the nation went communist, according to a Bloomberg report published on Thursday. China doesn't recognize the debt, of course, and decades of attempts to collect by owners of the aging bonds (which sell on eBay as collectors' items) have amounted to naught, but with a full-blown e…
rt.com/usa/467593-trump-china-antique-debt-bonds/

US escalates regime-change machinations against Venezuela
wsws.org | 2019-08-30
Having failed to instigate a military coup, the US and its puppet Juan Guaidó are attempting to flesh out a parallel government loyal to Washington.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/30/vene-a30.html

US operation aggravates tensions over South China Sea disputes
wsws.org | 2019-08-30
The latest operation is intended to either provoke or intimidate the Beijing regime and Chinese military.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/30/schs-a30.html

Maduro: Venezuela-China Relations 'At Their Best'
teleSUR -EF | telesurenglish.net | 2019-08-30
President Nicolas Maduro says he's "determined to expand and liberate Venezuela's production" in the face of the U.S. economic blockades being placed on the South American nation. Maduro tells Chinese media his country is "resisting" the sanctions by growing the nation's agricultural, oil and mining sectors. | RELATED: | Venezuela Concerned About Resurgence of Conflict in Colombia | "We are determined to expand and liberate the productive forces of Venezuela, recovering macroecon…
telesurenglish.net/news/Maduro-Venezuela-China-Relations-At-Their-Best-20190830-0013.html

The Whistleblower Who Almost Stopped the Iraq Invasion
Sam Husseini | truthdig.com | 2019-08-30
Editor's note: This article was initially published on Consortium News. | Two-time Oscar nominee Keira Knightley is known for being in "period pieces" such as "Pride and Prejudice," so her playing the lead in the new film "Official Secrets," scheduled to be released in the U.S. on Friday, may seem odd at first. That is until one considers that the time span being depicted — the early 2003 run-up to the invasion of Iraq — is one of the most dramatic and consequential periods of modern human his…
truthdig.com/articles/the-whistleblower-who-nearly-stopped-the-iraq-invasion/

Film Official Secrets Is Tip of Mammoth Iceberg
Sam Husseini | fair.org | 2019-08-30
Two-time Oscar nominee Keira Knightley is known for being in period pieces such as Pride and Prejudice, so her playing the lead in the new film Official Secrets, released in the US on Friday, August 30, may seem odd at first. That is, until one considers that the time span depicted–the early 2003 run-up to the invasion of Iraq–is one of the most dramatic and consequential periods of modern human history. | It is also one of the most poorly understood, in part because the story of Katharine Gun, played by Knightley, is so little known. I should say from the outset that having followed this story from t…
fair.org/home/film-official-secrets-is-tip-of-mammoth-iceberg/

Trump Hits Lebanon Bank with His Favorite Econo-Political Battering Ram
Marwa Osman | mintpressnews.com | 2019-08-30
The fact that the U.S. sanctions countries whenever its president pleases could in itself be considered a hostile act. Even in wartime, these sorts of collective punishments are illegal under the Geneva Conventions.
mintpressnews.com/trump-sanctions-economic-battering-ram-jamal-trust-bank/261582/

As Yemen relief operations face funding gap, timing of surge in violence 'couldn't be worse'
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-30
The situation in Yemen is "very fragile", the top United Nations humanitarian official there has warned, noting that as many as 13 people have been killed and at least 70 wounded over the past three days during clashes in two governorates.
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1045282

Friday's Daily Brief: Refugee children missing out on school, Ebola in Uganda, Fresh violence in Yemen, 20 years of Timor-Leste independence, Enforced disappearances
United Nations | un.org | 2019-08-30
A recap of Friday's stories: Over half of refugee children missing an education; new Ebola case in Uganda; funding gap in Yemen leaves many at risk; Timor-Leste marks 20th anniversary of independence, enforced disappearances spread terror…
news.un.org/feed/view/en/story/2019/08/1045322

Reading the Tea Leaves in Hong Kong
Jonathan Power | counterpunch.org | 2019-08-30
In 1995 in a little remembered event Li Ruthuan, a member of the Chinese Politburo(containing the top seven in the government), made a speech likening the Chinese take-over of Hong Kong to the case of a lady who had agreed to sell a 100-year-old Yi-Xiang teapot that was famous for the taste of the tea it poured. Unbeknown to her, its…
counterpunch.org/2019/08/30/reading-the-tea-leaves-in-hong-kong/

Trump's personal assistant resigns after caught leaking information to media — report
rt.com | 2019-08-30
Madeleine Westerhout, Trump's personal assistant and 'veteran' of the administration, has reportedly stepped down after she was accused of sharing details about the Trump family and the White House's inner workings with media. | The scoop on Westerhout's exit through the Trump administration's revolving door was reported by the New York Times on Thursday. | Also on rt.com | | 'Leaks real, the news is fake': Reporters hit out at Trump trashing of media | US President Donald Trump was reportedly made aware of Westerhout's 'betrayal' on Thursday. The woman…
rt.com/usa/467591-westerhout-resigned-trump-leak/

'Good luck determining what happened': Trump says US not involved in Iranian satellite 'incident'
rt.com | 2019-08-30
US President Donald Trump denied any American involvement after reports of a failed Iranian satellite launch, in which a rocket is said to have exploded on a launch pad. Iran, meanwhile, has not issued any accusations of the sort. | In a tweet on Friday, the president assured Washington had nothing to do with the apparently botched satellite mission, and wished Tehran "good luck" in figuring out what went wrong. He also attached an image of damage done to the launch site. | "The United States of America was not involved in the catastrophic accident during final launch preparations for the Safir SLV Launch at S…
rt.com/usa/467649-trump-us-iran-satellite/

Is a Rouhani-Trump Meeting Imminent?
Press TV | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-08-30
PressTV Interview Transcript www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qsp1UcXqEo&feature=youtu.be Peter Koenig 29 August 2019 Background Tehran and Washington have been locked in a dispute since last year when the US unilaterally pulled out of the nuclear agreement and re-imposed crippling sanctions on Iran. On Monday, President Donald Trump said he is ready to meet his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani within …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/is-a-rouhani-trump-meeting-imminent/

US alarmed over end to South Korea-Japan intelligence sharing
wsws.org | 2019-08-30
Seoul's decision to withdraw from a key intelligence-sharing agreement with Tokyo is part of the deepening rift between Washington's two military allies in North East Asia over economic and strategic issues.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/08/30/skja-a30.html