Maureen Dowd Asked Rahm Emanuel to Weigh In on an Immigration Debate. His Record Is Abysmal
Ryan Grim | theintercept.com | 2019-07-17
When it comes to immigration, both the politics and the policy, perhaps no Democrat has been more destructive over the past 25 years than Rahm Emanuel.
theintercept.com/2019/07/17/rahm-emanuel-immigration/

Britain is following Trump and escalating the threat of war with Iran
Lindsey German | mronline.org | 2019-07-17
The British Navy\'s seizing of an Iranian oil tanker shows Britain following Trump, trading in diplomacy for the threat of military confrontation, argues Lindsey German | Source…
mronline.org/2019/07/17/britain-is-following-trump-and-escalating-the-threat-of-war-with-iran/

Iran\'s Not the Aggressor, the US Is
Khury Petersen-Smith | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-17
It\'s easy to be confused about what\'s happening between the U.S. and Iran. On July 10, President Trump again accused Iran of violating the Obama-era nuclear deal, in a tweet that he concluded by promising to increase U.S. sanctions \"substantially.\" Similarly, headlines — such as a recent New York Times article that originally proclaimed,…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/17/irans-not-the-aggressor-the-us-is/

States collaborating with the far-Right
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-07-17
It is not the collapse of Conservatism causing the rise of the far-right in America, Europe and Britain, it is the opposite. It is, however, important to understand that this is exactly how fascism comes to power. | Source…
mronline.org/2019/07/17/states-collaborating-with-the-far-right/

In the US and Brazil, Two Trends Underline the Creeping Fascism of Both Governments
Peter Bolton | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-17
The word fascism is undoubtedly overused in today\'s political lexicon. It is used by figures from across the political spectrum as a shorthand for anything that one\'s opponent does that is deemed sinister or disagreeable. This phenomenon has obscured the real meaning of the word, creating confusion and misunderstanding within the general public. One of…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/17/in-the-us-and-brazil-two-trends-underline-the-creeping-fascism-of-both-governments/

Ye Cannot Swerve Me: Moby-Dick and Climate Change
Manuel García, Jr. | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-17
Will climate change drive humanity to extinction? If so, how much time have we got?, and how will it happen? These questions are on the minds of many people today. In this essay, I will follow paleontologists deep into the geological past to see if it can offer any analogs to the evolving climatic conditions of today, and in that way give us a window into our future.
counterpunch.org/2019/07/17/ye-cannot-swerve-me-moby-dick-and-climate-change/

I Had an Abortion and Now I\'m Not Ashamed
Rebecca Gordon | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-17
I have never said this publicly before, but in December 1974 I had an abortion. I was 22 years old, living in a cold, dark house in Portland, Oregon, spending my days huddled in front of a wood stove trying to finish my undergraduate senior thesis. I did not want to have a baby. I…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/17/i-had-an-abortion-and-now-im-not-ashamed/

Billionaires and American Politics
Lawrence Wittner | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-17
Is the United States becoming a plutocracy? With the manifestly unqualified but immensely rich Donald Trump serving as the nation\'s first billionaire president, it\'s not hard to draw that conclusion. And there are numerous other signs, as well, that great wealth has become a central factor in American politics. Although big money has always played…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/17/billionaires-and-american-politics/

Cheap Shots at the Trump Economy
Dean Baker | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-17
I am not anxious to defend Donald Trump\'s economic performance, but a complaint by Steven Rattner in his New York Times column caught my attention. The column features a graph showing that the ratio of the median wage for blacks has fallen relative to the median wage for white workers since 2016. This bothered me,…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/17/cheap-shots-at-the-trump-economy/

Kip Sullivan and Dr. Matthew Hahn on How Value Based Programs Are Undermining Medicare and Single Payer
Russell Mokhiber | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-17
There is a growing sentiment, bubbling from the ground up, that before we get to Medicare for All, we need to first fix Medicare. Richard Bazarian, an eye surgeon in Portland, Maine, is supportive of the idea.
counterpunch.org/2019/07/17/kip-sullivan-and-dr-matthew-hahn-on-how-value-based-programs-are-undermining-medicare-and-single-payer/

A Fearless and Free Press is Essential to Our Democracy
George Ochenski | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-17
\"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.\" –Thomas Jefferson Make no mistake about it, the individual sitting in the highest office of our nation is trying to destroy the foundational institution upon which our democracy was founded — a fearless and free press. And why…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/17/a-fearless-and-free-press-is-essential-to-our-democracy/

Sexual Predators in the Power Elite
John W. Whitehead | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-17
\"As political and economic freedom diminishes, sexual freedom tends compensating to increase. And the dictator (unless he needs cannon fodder and families with which to colonize empty or conquered territories) will do well to encourage that freedom.\" –Aldous Huxley, Brave New World Power corrupts. Anyone who believes differently hasn\'t been paying attention. Politics, religion, sports,…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/17/sexual-predators-in-the-power-elite/

Teach the Children Well: the Unrealized Vision In Teaching and Learning in the Residential Schools
Michael Welton | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-17
Through the entire era of the residential school in Canada, from the 1880s until the 1980s, parents, public school inspectors and departmental officials made serious complaints about the \"poor education\" the Native children were receiving. John Milloy (A national crime: the Canadian government and the residential school system, 1879 to 1986 [1999]) observes poignantly:…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/17/teach-the-children-well-the-unrealized-vision-in-teaching-and-learning-in-the-residential-schools/

\"Go Back Where You Came From:\" an Episode From Canada
Michael Kidder | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-17
\"… go back where you came from…\" Not something one expects to hear from a head of state addressing his own citizens. When these taunts come from a man, a second generation American, whose entire pedigree as Captain America rests on having one natural born US citizen as an ancestor; it might be laughable, if…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/17/go-back-where-you-cam-from-an-episode-from-canada/

Council dump charges likely to lead to fly-tipping, environmental campaigners warn
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2019-07-17
Charging householders to dump their rubbish legally could trigger a rise in the illegal practice of fly-tipping, environmental campaigners have warned. | The Government has announced a review of current rules at waste recycling centres after some councils began rolling out fees. | The charges include £3.30 per car tyre at Cornwall Council, £2 for a bag of loose material at North Tyneside Council, and £20 per boiler at Buckinghamshire County Council. | But Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive of environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, said it was better to encourage people to dispose of their w…
thecanary.co/discovery/news-discovery/2019/07/17/council-dump-charges-likely-to-lead-to-fly-tipping-environmental-campaigners-warn/

Congresswomen condemn White House racism
Monica Moorehead | workers.org | 2019-07-17
As we go to press, the House of Representatives passed a resolution saying that Trump\'s tweets were racist. All Democrats and four Republicans voted for the resolution. More to come. The white supremacist and misogynist Trump has opened up another vicious, racist verbal war. This time it is against four . . . | Continue reading Congresswomen condemn White House racism at Workers.org…
workers.org/2019/07/17/congresswomen-condemn-white-house-racism/

Trump Is Tanking the American Manufacturing Industry
Staff | truthdig.com | 2019-07-17
It\'s official. Trump has put US manufacturing, which is about 14% of the US gross national product, into recession, according to AFP Recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of decline. | The recession in manufacturing has many reasons, including a cyclical slowdown in the Chinese economy. But on top of them call came Trump\'s trade war with China, which tipped the balance. | The US is in the eleventh year of a particularly slow and tepid economic expansion after the Great Bush Crash of 2008-2009. Despite al…
truthdig.com/articles/trump-is-tanking-the-american-manufacturing-industry/

Amazon workers strike for safe working conditions
Chris Garaffa | liberationnews.org | 2019-07-17
The advanced technologies that Amazon makes billions of dollars selling to oppressive agencies could be used for good.
liberationnews.org/amazon-workers-strike-for-safe-working-conditions/

Billionaires and American Politics
Lawrence Wittner | dissidentvoice.org | 2019-07-17
Is the United States becoming a plutocracy? With the manifestly unqualified but immensely rich Donald Trump serving as the nation\'s first billionaire president, it\'s not hard to draw that conclusion. And there are numerous other signs, as well, that great wealth has become a central factor in American politics. Although big money has always played an …
dissidentvoice.org/2019/07/billionaires-and-american-politics/

Massive photo databases secretly gathered in US and Europe to develop facial recognition
wsws.org | 2019-07-17
Large digital face and \"selfie\" photo databases have been used by state agencies, software engineers and researchers involved in perfecting AI algorithms and image pattern analyses.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/17/face-j17.html

Sudan Transition to Civilian Rule Endangered as Foreign Interests Prevail
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-07-17
With the foiling of a coup attempt, the Sudanese military is consolidating its rule, despite a nearly signed transition agreement. Part of the problem is that Gulf states want to see the military in charge, especially since Sudanese soldiers are fighting in Yemen, says Prof. Khalid Ahmad…
therealnews.com/stories/sudan-transition-to-civilian-rule-endangered-as-foreign-interests-prevail

Wall Street Journal warns job threats might not prevent rebellion by autoworkers
wsws.org | 2019-07-17
The mouthpiece of the banks said younger workers who have never experienced mass layoffs are the \"big wild card\" in this year\'s contract fight.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/17/auto-j17.html

CNN peddles intelligence agencies\' lies against Assange
wsws.org | 2019-07-17
A recent CNN article recycles the discredited claim that WikiLeaks was involved in a Russian conspiracy to deprive Hillary Clinton of the US presidency.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/17/cnns-j17.html

Beanpole (Dylda): Disturbing scenes of postwar Soviet life
wsws.org | 2019-07-17
Russian director Kantemir Balagov\'s film treats the damaged lives of two young women who have just returned to Leningrad (today St. Petersburg) from the front after the end of the Second World War.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/07/17/dyld-j17.html

Protesters Target Palantir for Profiting from ICE Contracts
Ruth Robertson | indybay.org | 2019-07-17
July 12 was a national day of action to call for the protection of immigrants from ICE raids. In Palo Alto, demonstrators marched on Palantir Technologies\' headquarters, saying the data mining company is helping the Trump administration separate families. Palantir sells software that assists the government in tracking and finding people to arrest and deport. | Please credit the photographer: Jack Owicki, Pro Bono Photo.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/07/16/18824774.php

Twitter CEO maxes out donations to Tulsi Gabbard… conspiracy machine kicks into overdrive
rt.com | 2019-07-17
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has donated thousands of dollars to anti-war Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard — and Twitter users and mainstream media journalists are (rather ironically) up in arms about it. | …
rt.com/usa/464340-jack-dorsey-tulsi-gabbard-donations/

Everybody Must Get Stoned
Howard Lisnoff | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-16
I recently wrote on these pages about the Vietnam Peace Commemoration Committee. Reading an article that the committee references on the Pentagon\'s past commemoration of the war, I was not surprised to find pure and unabashed vitriol hurled at the peace movement of the 1960s and early 1970s. Yogi Berra might have observed that…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/16/everybody-must-get-stoned/

A Firm Grasp of the Obvious: Kim Darroch and the Weakness of Britain
Patrick Cockburn | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-16
The resignation of Sir Kim Darroch as British ambassador to Washington, because of his leaked messages to London criticising President Trump, is highly revealing about the real state of British knowledge of what is going on in the US. Supporters of the former ambassador portray him as a skilled and experienced foreign office official who…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/16/a-firm-grasp-of-the-obvious-kim-darroch-and-the-weakness-of-britain/

Science group opposes planned immigration raids, mistreatment of immigrants
Eds. | mronline.org | 2019-07-16
Statement by Ken Kimmell, President, Union of Concerned Scientists | Source…
mronline.org/2019/07/16/science-group-opposes-planned-immigration-raids-mistreatment-of-immigrants/

Julián Castro Is Running for President & Supporting Striking Amazon & McDonald\'s Workers
Staff | democracynow.org | 2019-07-16
Amid labor strikes against poor working conditions and low wages for Amazon and McDonald\'s workers, we speak with 2020 presidential candidate Julián Castro about workers\' rights, fair pay and where he stands on foreign policy, from China to Israel.
www.democracynow.org/2019/7/16/julian_castro_immigration

Cruelty Prompts Trump\'s Deal of the Century in the Middle East
Prof. Stuart Rees | globalresearch.ca | 2019-07-16
If there\'s one thing real estate moguls understand it\'s the value of land. Which begs the question why Donald Trump\'s plan to broker peace in the Middle East is so spectacularly ignorant of reality. Stuart Rees weighs in. | The …
globalresearch.ca/cruelty-prompts-trumps-deal-century-middle-east/5683734

UNHCR Warns of Rights Violations over US Asylum Policies
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-16
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Office (UNHCR) warned Tuesday that the new asylum application policies by which the United States seeks to stop migrant flow go against international obligations because they highly violate basic rights and freedoms. | RELATED: | Over 39,000 Honduran Migrants Deported From Mexico | \"We understand the U.S. asylum sys…
telesurenglish.net/news/UNHCR-Warns-of-Rights-Violations-over-US-Asylum-Policies-20190716-0010.html

How Iran\'s Soviet Era Air Defense System Shot Down America\'s Global Hawk UAV over Strait of Hormuz
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2019-07-16
On the night of June 19-20, Iran shot down a US Global Hawk reconnaissance UAV over the Strait of Hormuz. | President Trump responded by calling for retaliatory air strikes against Iran. | In response to the President and Commander in Chief\'s …
globalresearch.ca/how-irans-soviet-era-air-defense-system-shot-down-americas-global-hawk-uav-over-strait-of-hormuz/5683697

Trump, Netanyahu, Pence and Bolton: The Four Horsemen of the Nuclear Apocalypse
Hans Stehling | globalresearch.ca | 2019-07-16
These are the demented Gang of Four who are determined to destroy 74 years of international cooperation for peace by waging a completely unwarranted war against Iran in a bid for global supremacy, and oil, that will provoke nuclear war …
globalresearch.ca/trump-netanyahu-pence-bolton-4-horsemen-nuclear-apocalypse/5683687

The Social Movement Photography of David Bacon: Kids Working in the Banana Trees; Parents on Strike
David Bacon | progressive.org | 2019-07-16
In 1997, I went to the Philippines to document child labor on the banana plantations producing for the Dole Corporation. The next year activists carried the information to Seattle to confront the global meeting of the World Trade Organization.
progressive.org/dispatches/the-social-movement-photography-of-david-bacon-phillipines-190716/

Nukes For Peace?
Nicky Reid | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-16
Surrounded by trigger happy Tonkinesque gunboats and drowning in debt, the Islamic Republic of Iran has made the risky decision to play the last card left in their deck; to defy the P5+1 Deal in order to save the P5+1 Deal. It\'s a hell of a gambit but it already has those pussies in the…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/16/nukes-for-peace/

What\'s Really Going on in Hong Kong?
Reese Erlich | globalresearch.ca | 2019-07-16
For more than three months, people in Hong Kong massed in the streets to protest a proposed extradition law. Critics say it would allow China to extradite dissenting students, journalists, and business people to the mainland, where they could face …
globalresearch.ca/whats-really-going-hong-kong/5683737

South African Singer, Anti-Apartheid Activist Johnny Clegg Dies
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-16
South African singer Johnny Clegg, one of the very few white artists who confronted the apartheid regime in the 1970s and 1980s has died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 66, his manager informedTuesday. | RELATED: | Anarchist Activist Killed for Fighting US \'Concentration Camps\' | \"Clegg has made an indelible mark on the music industry and the hearts of the people,\" said the South African government in a tribute paid to the singer on Twitter, adding that his music had the power to unite…
telesurenglish.net/news/South-African-Anti-Apartheid-Activist-Johnny-Clegg-Dies-20190716-0027.html

SPLC sues Florida officials over law requiring police to act as ICE agents
splcenter.org | 2019-07-16
The SPLC and its partners sued top Florida officials today over a new state law that requires local police to act as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
splcenter.org/news/2019/07/16/splc-sues-florida-officials-over-law-requiring-police-act-ice-agents

Trump Murdered the Iran Deal—And Europe Isn\'t Too Happy About It
Vijay Prashad | commondreams.org | 2019-07-16
When Donald Trump campaigned for the U.S. presidency in 2016, he would frequently attack the JCPOA as Obama\'s folly. (Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_26.jpeg …
commondreams.org/views/2019/07/16/trump-murdered-iran-deal-and-europe-isnt-too-happy-about-it?cd-origin=rss

Oaklanders condemn Trump immigration policies, demand respect and humane treatment
Marilyn Bechtel | peoplesworld.org | 2019-07-16
OAKLAND, Calif.–The biggest result so far from the immigration raids touted by President Trump may well be the flood of actions throughout the country, including the San Francisco Bay Area, demanding that immigrants\' rights be fully respected and that they be treated humanely. Among dozens of Bay Area actions was one that filled the plaza …
peoplesworld.org/article/oaklanders-condemn-trump-immigration-policies-demand-respect-and-humane-treatment/

We Must Be More Active in Defense of Migrants: Rigoberta Menchu
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-16
Guatemalan Indigenous leader and 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu expressed Tuesday that one must be energetic to defend human rights and considered that the raids in the United States are an offense to the migrants of the world. | RELATED: | Trump Bars Asylum Seekers at US Southern Border | \"What happens in the U.S. can be replicated in other parts of the world and this is not good news, because it is confining young people and mothers, it is humiliating people, so who we are to t…
telesurenglish.net/news/Rigoberta-Menchu-Defends-Migrants-US-Mexico–20190716-0021.html

House opposes Trump\'s Iran war threat, repeals Bush \'war on terror\' authorization
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2019-07-16
WASHINGTON–By mostly party-line tallies, the Democratic-run U.S. House opposed President Donald Trump\'s presumed march towards war against Iran. Lawmakers also voted to repeal two prior war-making measures, approved in 2001 and 2002, originally OK\'d for Republican President George W. Bush\'s so-called \"war on terror\" and his invasion of Iraq. The House vote against Trump\'s Iran …
peoplesworld.org/article/house-opposes-trumps-iran-war-threat-repeals-bush-war-on-terror-authorization/

As US Modernizes Its Nuclear Arsenal, Costs and Risks Soar
Staff | truthout.org | 2019-07-16
On July 16, 1945, the U.S. detonated the first-ever nuclear device in the New Mexico desert. Less than a month later, it dropped two more atomic bombs, destroying Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing and injuring more than 200,000 civilians. | Today, 74 years later, President Donald Trump has elbowed his way to the precipice of war threatening fire, fury and obliteration against one state that has nuclear weapons (North Korea) and one that doesn\'t (Iran). In June, shortly after Trump reportedly called off a military strike against Iran with just 1…
truthout.org/articles/as-us-modernizes-its-nuclear-arsenal-costs-and-risks-soar/

Is Russia the Right Mediator In the Conflict Between Iran and the US?
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-07-16
With a first ever visit by a Japanese prime minister to Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, many Iranian commentators were quick to declare that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe the best hope for successful mediation between the US and Iran, since Tokyo has warm relations with both sides. Some have argued that pacifist Japan has …
uwidata.com/4311-is-russia-the-right-mediator-in-the-conflict-between-iran-and-the-us/

Iran\'s Supreme Leader Threatens to Respond to UK\'s \'Piracy\'
telesurenglish.net | 2019-07-16
Iran\'s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic would respond to Great Britain\'s \'piracy\' over the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar. | RELATED: | Unlike US, UK Foreign Secretary Wants To Save Iran Nuclear Deal | The religious leader called on Great Britain to immediately release the Iranian oil tanker and end their hostilities towards the Islamic Republic. | \"Evil Britain commits piracy and steals our ship … an…
telesurenglish.net/news/Irans-Supreme-Leader-Threatens-to-Respond-to-UKs-Piracy-20190716-0004.html

What Right Has Britain to Seize an Iranian Tanker Off Spain?
Gary Leupp | counterpunch.org | 2019-07-16
\"We have reason to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas Refinery in Syria. That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria.\" — Fabian Picardo, chief minister of Gibraltar…
counterpunch.org/2019/07/16/what-right-has-britain-to-seize-an-iranian-tanker-off-spain/

FBI Surveillance of Iranians After the 1988 Downing of Flight 655
Paul Gottinger | globalresearch.ca | 2019-07-16
This month marks 31 years since the U.S. Navy ship, the USS Vincennes, shot down Iran Air flight 655, killing 290 Iranian civilians, including 66 children. The downing of the airliner on July 3, 1988 remains one of the …
globalresearch.ca/fbi-surveillance-iranians-after-downing-flight-655/5683749

The UK Must Release the Iranian Tanker; The UAE\'s Mission to Tehran
Elijah J. Magnier | globalresearch.ca | 2019-07-16
Before Emmanuel Bonne, the special envoy of the French President Emmanuel Macron to Iran, visited President Hassan Rouhani, he promised to deal with the \" Grace I\" crisis between Iran and the UK. Iran considered the UK …
globalresearch.ca/uk-must-release-iranian-tanker-uaes-mission-tehran/5683746

How Israeli-Designed Drones Became Russia\'s Eyes in the Sky for Defending Bashar al-Assad
Patrick Hilsman | theintercept.com | 2019-07-16
Last summer, Israel shot down yet another military drone near the line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria. The confrontation would have been business as usual, if not for a twist: Images of the destroyed drone showed Cyrillic tail markings and other identifiable components of a Forpost belonging to Russia. The findings presented an awkward geopolitical moment: Syria and Russia are allies, and Syria and Israel are bitter enemies — but the Russ…
theintercept.com/2019/07/16/syria-war-israel-russia-drones/