Jason Ditz (2019-07-20). Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad Urges Direct Talks With Trump. theantimedia.com Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the surprise move to endorse direct talks with President Trump on Friday.

WSWS (2019-07-20). Consortium News website taken down by a malware attack after streaming program defending Julian Assange. wsws.org The independent investigative journalism website Consortium News was brought down on Monday by a malware attack following the inaugural episode of CN Live!

WSWS (2019-07-20). UK intelligence agencies exonerated of responsibility in London Bridge terror attack. wsws.org The families of the victims presented evidence before the inquest showing that the attacks could and should have been prevented.

Fridays For Future Sacramento (2019-07-20). Peace Strike for Climate & Amazon Rainforest in State Capital. indybay.org California State Capitol Museum, West Steps | 1315 10th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814…

WSWS (2019-07-20). Mixed signals on rate cut prompts Trump to demand the Fed enlist in US trade war against rivals. wsws.org Trump is demanding that the Fed drop all pretence of \"independence\" and openly serve as an instrument of Washington\'s economic war against its global competitors.

RT (2019-07-20). Cuba, Russia, China, Iran — Pompeo lists every nation that 'must leave' Venezuela, except one. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says foreign nations (Russia, China, Iran, and Cuba) must stay clear of Venezuela, so that the one foreign nation not on the list \"can begin to do the work to rebuild that country.\"

WSWS (2019-07-20). An interview with veteran French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier about actress Lillian Gish and director D. W. Griffith. wsws.org French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier (Round Midnight, Coup de Torchon, Life and Nothing But, It All Starts Today, In the Electric Mist) is one of the most admirable figures in cinema over the past 45 years.

WSWS (2019-07-20). Publico reports Spanish intelligence facilitated 2017 Barcelona terror attack. wsws.org The report is prima facie evidence of criminal behavior by the Spanish state, abetted by other NATO powers, to create the climate to build a fascistic police-state regime.

WSWS (2019-07-20). Iran seizes UK tanker in Strait of Hormuz as danger of Middle East war mounts. wsws.org Chief responsibility for the growing war danger in the Persian Gulf rests squarely with US imperialism, which has relentlessly escalated its provocations against Iran.

RT (2019-07-20). Cross-border drug traffic peaking thanks to focus on migrant crisis, US drug czar says. rt.com More drugs than ever are flowing into the US from south of the border as federal resources have been diverted to the migrant crisis, leaving Border Patrol hopelessly overstretched, the US drug policy chief has warned.

WSWS (2019-07-20). US immigration agents use children to inflict terror on migrant families. wsws.org Three recent incidents highlight the depravity of the US government\'s bipartisan war on immigrants, spearheaded by the Trump administration.

DLI (2019-07-20). 33 brave senior(kupuna) protectors on Hawaii\'s Mauna Kea detained by police. indybay.org On Wednesday morning, State police removed 33 senior(kupuna) protectors from a human chain that had blocked–for 3 days–access to the Mauna Kea Road, by construction equipment that are slated to begin the Thirty Meter Telescope(TMT). The protectors are part of the hundreds-strong peaceful activists that had been up at the Mauna(mountain) since last Sunday, July 14.

Kenn Orphan (2019-07-19). Stranger Things, Stranger Times. counterpunch.org To say we live in extraordinarily strange times is perhaps the ultimate understatement. Strange times indeed, and terrifying as well. Rising global fascism, the continued threat of nuclear war, an imperiled biosphere and a climate that is rapidly heating up. In the US it is even more apparent. There are concentration camps on the southern More

Staff (2019-07-19). Ralph Nader: The GOP Is a Profile in Cowardice. truthdig.com The president has proven himself entirely unfit for office. If Republicans had an ounce of moral courage, they would be primarying him.

John Wojcik (2019-07-19). U.S. and NATO warmakers find some willing partners in Germany. peoplesworld.org BERLIN—While Donald Trump dominates the news daily in the U.S. with his racist diatribes, tweets, and rallies, the American public can\'t be blamed if it fails to notice that on a world scale and here in Europe, in particular, the right wing is pushing for a level of militarization and war planning that goes beyond …

unitedEditor (2019-07-19). Terrorist attack in Erbil: Who benefits from the Turkish diplomat\'s murder? uwidata.com In Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, an open terrorist attack against several diplomats was carried out. Three diplomats were killed as a result, including Osman Kose, an employee of the Turkish Consulate General. One of the two attackers was later identified as Mazlum Dag, a 27 year-old from Diyarbakir, Turkey. According to Sky News …

teleSUR (2019-07-19). \'Green Card Won\'t Save You\': ICE Arrests Trinidad Card Holder. telesurenglish.net Social media samaritans are coming to the rescue of a Trinidadian native, Trevor James, who was arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers despite being a Green Card holder. | RELATED: | Amazon Helps ICE Deport Migrants Using AI Technology: Report | ICE agents arrested the Caribbbean man at his job in North Carolina, sending him to a detention center in Atlanta, Georgia. | In a statement online, his sister, Solange James, explained he had been work…

Ron Jacobs (2019-07-19). Dancing with Dr. Benway. counterpunch.org William S. Burroughs was a writer and a wreck; a cynic and a seer, a misanthrope and a muse. He was not really the hero type; he lacked the wholesomeness those seeking heroes are looking for. Nor was he a rock star. However, his books and approach to life inspired rock musicians, guitar heroes and More

Anthony DiMaggio (2019-07-19). System Capture 2020: The Role of the Upper-Class in Shaping Democratic Primary Politics. counterpunch.org The Democratic primary season is upon us, and the party\'s candidate list is a useful starting point for assessing the impact of affluence on American politics. Classic works by sociologists of decades past, including C. Wright Mills and G. William Domhoff, posited that U.S. political institutions were captured by elite economic actors, who seek to enhance their own material positions at the expense of the many. More

teleSUR (2019-07-19). Four Killed As Protests Spread in Southern Ethiopian City. telesurenglish.net Four protesters have died of gunshot wounds they suffered in clashes with Ethiopian security forces this week while demonstrating for a new, autonomous region for the Sidama ethnic group that wants a political base in the southern city of Hawassa. | RELATED: | Ethiopian Security Kills Coup Mastermind, Others Arrested | The threat of large-scale violence in Hawassa was largely averted after a Sidama opposition party agreed Thursday to delay declaring possession over the southern regio…

Vijay Prashad (2019-07-19). Revolutions are not the train ride, but the human race grabbing for the emergency brake. mronline.org Impossible to deny the reality of poverty in our world. Studies of the data on income and wealth routinely show that billions of people on the planet live with minimal access to resources. These studies demonstrate that poverty cannot be measured merely by the financial resources that are not available; they demonstrate how billions of […] | Source

The Canary (2019-07-19). Multibillion-pound investment in schools \'desperately\' needed, say MPs. thecanary.co Schools \"desperately need\" a multibillion-pound cash injection and the Government should draw up a 10-year funding plan, a cross-party group of MPs has said.A report by the Education Select Committee found that funding for schools and colleges had failed to keep pace with the extra demands being placed on institutions, such as providing mental health support and disabilities provision.This, coupled with growing pupil numbers and rising costs, meant the sector had been put under \"significant strain\" over the past 10 years, the MPs found.Robert Halfon, chairman of the committee, called for a \"bottom-up national ass…

Ramzy Baroud (2019-07-19). Who Killed Oscar and Valeria: The Inconvenient History of the Refugee Crisis. counterpunch.org History never truly retires. Every event of the past, however inconsequential, reverberates throughout and, to an extent, shapes our present, and our future as well The haunting image of the bodies of Salvadoran father, Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and his daughter, Valeria, who were washed ashore at a riverbank on the Mexico-US border cannot be More

Michael Sainato (2019-07-19). The Billionaires v. Bernie. progressive.org The democratic socialist candidate is under attack from the super rich, their corporations, lobbyists, and think tanks. Some are even backing his 2020 Democratic primary rivals.

Staff (2019-07-19). In 2003, This U.K. Whistleblower Almost Stopped the Iraq Invasion. A New Film Tells Her Story. democracynow.org In 2003, Katharine Gun, a young specialist working for Britain\'s Government Communications Headquarters, exposed a highly confidential memo that revealed the United States\' collaboration with Britain in collecting sensitive information on United Nations Security Council members in order to pressure them into supporting the Iraq invasion. Gun leaked the memo to the press, setting off a chain of events that jeopardized her freedom and safety, but also opened the door to putting the entire legality of the Iraq invasion on trial. ‚Ä®‚Ä®Acclaimed Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsb…

United Nations (2019-07-19). \'Firmly united\' Security Council can bolster Colombia\'s efforts to secure lasting peace, says UN envoy. un.org The Colombian peace process is an outstanding example of how much support the United Nations can provide when the Security Council is \'firmly united\', a senior UN envoy said on Friday, calling for the 15-member body\'s continued commitment as the country works to overcome secure lasting peace.

Staff (2019-07-19). Besieged Puerto Rico Governor Goes Quiet Amid Protests. truthdig.com SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—In the Spanish colonial fortress that serves as his official residence, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló is under siege. | Motorcyclists, celebrities, horse enthusiasts and hundreds of thousands of ordinary Puerto Ricans have swarmed outside La Fortaleza (The Fort) in Old San Juan this week, demanding Rosselló resign over a series of leaked online chats insulting women, political opponents and even victims of Hurricane Maria. | Rosselló, the telegenic 40-year-old son of a former governor, has dropped his normally intense rhythm of public appearances and gone into relatively long perio…

United Nations (2019-07-19). First men on the moon \'came in peace\' to UN Headquarters \'for all mankind\'. un.org As the world remembers Saturday\'s 50th anniversary of the \"giant leap for mankind\" made by all those involved in the pioneering Apollo 11 space programme, we take a look back at the visit made by astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins, to UN Headquarters in New York, just a few weeks after their historic mission.

unitedEditor (2019-07-19). How Iran is fighting back against Trump\'s \"maximum pressure\" campaign. uwidata.com On May 8, 2018, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced his decision to end the US\' participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and begin reinstating nuclear-related sanctions against Iran. These extreme measures including the so-called \"maximum pressure\" policy and attempting to bring Iranian oil exports to \"zero\" have inflicted excruciating pain on …

Alexander Rubinstein (2019-07-19). \"The US Got Scared\" Voices of the Resistance in Post-Coup Honduras. mintpressnews.com Members of the resistance in Honduras tell MintPress how a US-backed coup – and the Neoliberalism it brought with it – have impacted their country.

Philip Giraldi (2019-07-19). Israel\'s Choice for U.S. President. globalresearch.ca In late June, President Donald Trump flailed away with his own particular brand of nondiplomacy at the G20 Summit in Japan, but it is worthwhile noting on the plus side that his administration is so inept that it could not …

teleSUR (2019-07-19). EU Commission Should Let Rescue Boats Dock, Rackete Asks. telesurenglish.net After being questioned by the Agrigento Prosecutor\'s office in Sicily on Thursday, the captain of the Sea Watch vessel, Carola Rackete, asked the new members of the European Commission (EC) to do everything possible to help migrants saved by humanitarian rescue boats. | RELATED: | Paris Awards Captains Rackete and Klemp for Humanitarian Work | \"I sincerely ho…

Eds. (2019-07-19). Rainforest on fire. mronline.org On the Front Lines of Bolsonaro\'s War on the Amazon, Brazil\'s Forest Communities Fight Against Climate Catastrophe | Source

Eric Toussaint (2019-07-19). Nicaragua 1979-2019. History of the Sandinista Revolution. globalresearch.ca The Nicaraguan government\'s violent repression against demonstrators protesting its brutal neoliberal policies, resulting in more than 300 people being killed by regime forces since April 2018, is only one of the reasons why various leftist social movements have condemned the …

Mike Garrity (2019-07-19). Environmentalists and Wilderness are Not the Timber Industry\'s Big Problem. counterpunch.org For decades the timber industry and its political allies have claimed that efforts to maintain Montana\'s functioning forest ecosystems and native wildlife have \"shut down\" logging. But two recent articles reveal that the basic economic principles of over-supply and over-production in the timber industry are the real problems, not environmentalists, the Endangered Species Act, or being More

The Canary (2019-07-19). Unions slam reports of pay rise for public sector workers. thecanary.co Leaders of public sector workers have angrily attacked reports of a pay rise for teachers, police officers and other employees as a \"last- gasp\" attempt to curry favour with an austerity hit workforce.The Treasury is reportedly set to unveil the biggest public sector wage increase for six years, worth £2 billion, after years of pay caps.The move would affect two million workers, with any announcement coming just before Theresa May leaves Downing Street.(PA Graphics)Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said: \"Millions of hard-working public servants will not be fooled by this last-gasp attempt by…

Joseph Natoli (2019-07-19). Gaming the Climate. counterpunch.org The greater divisiveness of the various warring factions in Game of Thrones places our own national divisiveness on to small, less frightening screen only because our divisiveness does not include White Walkers and their Army of the Dead. The Thrones is a world of all against all far more confusing than our own U.S. war More

Robert Scheer (2019-07-19). The Nationwide Scandal Hiding in Plain Sight. truthdig.com Some investigative reports reveal such extreme levels of greed, immorality and abuse that they can seem inconceivable. Such is the case of the bombshell series by the Center for Investigative Reporting on the egregious exploitation of residential care home workers. Jennifer Gollan, the Emmy Award-winning journalist in this investigation published by Reveal, joins Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer to discuss her work on this week\'s episode of his podcast \"Scheer Intelligence.\" | Below is an excerpt from the multimedia report by Gollan: [The] burgeoning multibillion-dollar elder care industry … is enabling op…

G. Dunkel (2019-07-19). U.S. replaces bombs on Iran with a cyberattack. workers.org President Trump called off a bombing attack on Iran on June 20 because he was \"shocked\" at 150 projected casualties. He then called on the U.S. Cyber Command to conduct a series of attacks against that country. Virtual attacks on command and control systems can cause as much infrastructure damage . . . | Continue reading U.S. replaces bombs on Iran with a cyberattack at Workers.org

Stephen Lendman (2019-07-19). Nigerian Political Prisoner Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky. globalresearch.ca Nigerian rule is tyrannical, headed by military dictator/turned politician Muhannadu Buhari and his so-called All Progressives Congress party (APC). | His February re-electoral triumph was dubious at best, critics citing voter-suppression and vote-buying. | Political violence occurred in the run-up to the …

Binoy Kampmark (2019-07-19). Spying on Julian Assange. counterpunch.org History\'s scope for the absurd and tragic is infinite. Like Sisyphus engaged in permanent labours pushing a boulder up a slope, the effort of making sense of such scope is likewise, absurdly infinite. To see images of an exhausted and world-weary Julian Assange attempting to dodge the all-eye surveillance operation that he would complain about More

Staff (2019-07-19). Headlines for July 19, 2019. democracynow.org 70 Catholics Arrested in Capitol Hill Protest of Trump\'s Immigration Policies, Asylum Seekers in Texas ICE Jail Launch Hunger Strike, House Democrats Grill Acting DHS Chief over Migrant Deaths and Squalid Jails, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Confronts DHS Chief over Racist & Sexist Border Patrol Posts, Trump Disavows \"Send Her Home\" Chant After Racist Attacks on Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Ilhan Omar Greeted in Minnesota with Chants of \"Welcome Home\", House Approves Minimum Wage Hike to $15 an Hour, Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Would Bring Overtime Pay, Union Rights, Trump to Nominate Anti-Union Lawyer Eugene Scalia as Labor S…