Jonathan Power (2019-08-08). Iran on the Precipice. counterpunch.org There\'s never been a full-scale war between two nuclear-armed states. If Iran one day did cross the nuclear threshold the same deterrence will apply. No one rational would want to provoke their own incineration. Columbia University professor, Kenneth Waltz, the distinguished theorist on the conduct of war, wrote in Foreign Affairs that with Israel possessing More

unitedEditor (2019-08-08). \"Global Hawk\" drone: evidence of Iran\'s advanced defensive capability. uwidata.com The recent downing of an American \"Global Hawk\" drone by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards is evidence of Iran\'s advanced defensive capability. Iran has proven that it can answer a direct military threat, even from a global power like the US. The same can be said for the UK, whose international immunity provided by world authorities …

Habib Ahmadzadeh (2019-08-08). Iranian War Veteran Gives Advice to Trump. dissidentvoice.org Dear President Trump, In a recent Tweet, you claimed that \"Iranians never won a war, but never lost a negotiation.\" As a world citizen and a veteran of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, I have firsthand experience with the bitterness of war, and I have a few suggestions and responses for you. First, I would advise you against …

Eds. (2019-08-08). The Squad vs. Trump and Pelosi. mronline.org In the past couple weeks, President Trump has gone on a racist, red-baiting rampage against four congresswomen elected in 2018. The four women of color—Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley—are now collectively known in the media as the \"squad.\" | Source

Adrienne Pine (2019-08-08). To Flee or Not to Flee? In Honduras, A Child Braves Tear Gas to Sell Vinegar Bags. mintpressnews.com Public education and job opportunities have been stolen from Honduran youth by a U.S.-backed narco-state bent on privatizing the whole of society. Youth face the choice of suffering violence and repression at home or risking the dangerous journey to the United States.

Staff (2019-08-08). Death by Police is Now the 6th Leading Cause of Death Among Young Men. therealnews.com It was once believed that police killings were the 14th leading cause of death among young people. However, a new Rutgers University study by Frank Edwards, which used federal statistics and journalistic investigation found that the death rate is far higher now. We discuss the research with Frank Edwards…

Staff (2019-08-08). U.N. Climate Report Warns About Impact on Food Supply. truthdig.com Global warming is already degrading land, but changes in the way people eat, grow food and manage forests could prevent a more dire future.

Staff (2019-08-08). House Democrats Hoarding Cash to Ward Off Progressive Upstarts. truthdig.com WASHINGTON—Somewhere out there, the next Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lurks. So wary House Democrats are amassing campaign war chests to scare off progressive upstarts from challenging them in primaries — or trounce them if they try. | A look at 41 incumbent House Democrats who face potential 2020 party primary opponents shows 16 have already stockpiled over $1 million in campaign funds. The figures from Federal Election Commission reports for the first six months of this year show that 20 raised over $500,000 during that period alone. | Th…

RT (2019-08-08). \'Human rights crisis\': Amnesty issues US travel warning, pushes for gun control after mass shootings. rt.com Amnesty International has dived headlong into the US gun control debate, urging travelers to be cautious amid a \"human rights crisis\" they blame on \"ubiquity of firearms\" and government reluctance to confiscate them.

Lucas Koerner (2019-08-08). NPR shreds ethics handbook to normalize regime change in Venezuela. mronline.org The Reagan administration in 1982 coerced National Public Radio (NPR) to cover more favorably the U.S. terrorist war then being waged against Nicaragua. | Source

Nyla Ali Khan (2019-08-08). A Wretched Day for Democracy: Revocation of the Special Status of Kashmir. counterpunch.org The India that Jammu and Kashmir acceded to in 1947 had chosen democracy, secularism, and socialism as its goals. Although the Praja Parishad, predecessor of the RSS, was determined to foist a solution of the entire Kashmir issue along communal lines even prior to 1953, and its leaders had been vocal about their views, it was heartwarming that India had chosen democracy and secularism as its goals. More

Daniel Warner (2019-08-08). UNRWA Accusations: (Im)Perfect Timing. counterpunch.org A damaging internal report has cast a dark shadow over the ethical behavior of top officials of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). As disclosed by Al Jazeera and AFP, the report cites \"credible and corroborated reports\" that members of an \"inner circle\" at the top of UNRWA, including Swiss Commissioner-General Pierre Krà§henbàºhl, have engaged in \"sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority for personal gain, to suppress legitimate dissent, and to otherwise achieve their personal objectives.\" The report was sent to UN Sec…

Ellen Brown (2019-08-08). Neoliberalism Has Met Its Match in China. truthdig.com When the Federal Reserve cut interest rates last week, commentators were asking why. According to official data, the economy was rebounding, unemployment was below 4% and gross domestic product growth was above 3%. If anything, by the Fed\'s own reasoning, it should have been raising rates. | Market pundits explained that we\'re in a trade war and a currency war. Other central banks were cutting their rates, and the Fed had to follow suit in order to prevent the dollar from becoming overvalued relative to other c…

Sweta Choudhury (2019-08-08). Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan move closer to war after Kashmir annexation. peoplesworld.org Kashmir is back on a knife edge with the Indian government\'s outrageous unilateral decision to scrap article 370 of the Indian Constitution that has given Indian-administered Kashmir its special status since May 14, 1954. This catastrophic and unconstitutional decision taken under right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi\'s leadership will have far-reaching consequences and spark civil unrest …

The Canary (2019-08-08). Campaigners welcome \'forward-looking\' NHS review on medical cannabis. thecanary.co Concerns about both the potential harm to mental health and effectiveness of medical cannabis \"is a major hurdle to prescribing\", according to an NHS England review.It said more clinical trials need to be carried out and a \"UK-wide paediatric specialist clinical network\" should be created to help doctors by providing expert advice on complex cases.The \"forward-looking and positive review\" was welcomed by the Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society (MCCC), whose executive director is Hannah Deacon. | Her eight-year-old son Alfie Dingley, who suffers from severe epilepsy, was the first of just two patients in the UK to…

Sanket Jain (2019-08-08). Buffaloed by the Climate in Kolhapur. counterpunch.org How and why does a full acre of jowar disappear from your fields at short notice? \"It was the first time in two years that I left my village for a week during the season. In that time, they devoured all of it,\" says Ananda Salvi. \'They\' is a herd of gaur (bos gaurus, also More

RT (2019-08-08). El Paso shooter\'s mother warned police about her son weeks before massacre. rt.com The Dallas-based mother of the El Paso mass shooter who killed 22 people, claims she called the police weeks prior to the shooting to share her concerns about his ownership of an assault rifle.

Joshua B Pribanic and Talia Wiener (2019-08-08). Pennsylvania is discharging radioactive fracking waste into rivers as landfill leachate, impacting the Chesapeake Bay & Ohio River watersheds. nationofchange.org Edited by Melissa Troutman Joey Bacon, 13, stands ready under the Lance Corporal Abram Howard Memorial bridge in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with his fishing pole cast into the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Joey spends a lot of time around the River swimming, fishing, and cannon-balling from the bridges that crisscross the water. He hasn\'t …

Anthony Mangos (2019-08-08). \'They Called Us Enemy\': Star Trek\'s George Takei pens graphic novel memoir. peoplesworld.org What does it mean to be an American? Who gets to decide? When the world is against you, what can one person do? These are the questions that emanate from George Takei\'s new graphic novel account of life as a child in two Japanese internment camps during World War II. Takei, well-known for his inspiring …

John R. Platt (2019-08-08). Earth\'s hottest month lights a fire for progress. nationofchange.org Well folks, we did it. July 2019 was the hottest month in recorded human history, with record-breaking temperatures in many parts of Europe, wildfires raging over tens of thousands of square miles of Arctic Alaska and Russia, and a staggering ice melt in Greenland that dumped 197 billion gallons of water into the ocean — 12.5 billion …

Staff (2019-08-08). Emergency Doctor to Trump: You Are Wrong, Mental Illness Is Not to Blame for Gun Violence Epidemic. democracynow.org President Trump went to Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, Wednesday, where he was met by hundreds of protesters condemning his presence after the mass shootings over the weekend, which killed at least 32 people. Prior to his visits, Trump hinted at the need to strengthen background checks for gun purchases, and doubled down on what some healthcare professionals say is dangerous rhetoric linking illness to mass shootings. Numerous other political figures have pointed to mental illness as a contributing factor in mass shootings. From Montreal, we speak with Dr. Megan Ranney, an associate professor of emergency medi…

Dean Baker (2019-08-08). NAFTA v. New NAFTA: Making a Bad Deal Worse. counterpunch.org Marketplace radio did a piece last week that was essentially just giving the argument of the supporters of the new NAFTA. I will give a few thoughts on the other side. First, the fact that NAFTA played a substantial role in reducing the power of unions and lowering wages of workers without college degrees doesn\'t More

Staff (2019-08-08). New Israeli Military Strategies for Annexation and Undermining Palestinian Identity. therealnews.com Shir Hever discusses two new Israeli military strategies, presented by Israeli chief of staff Aviv Kochavi, who calls for a more deadly invasion of Gaza, and former general Yossi Kuperwasser\'s plan of \"changing the Palestinian narrative\" in order to annex Palestinian land…

Special to People\'s World (2019-08-08). Immigrant workers terrorized in Mississippi raids while Trump was in El Paso. peoplesworld.org While President Trump was forcing himself on El Paso, a city that wanted no part of him yesterday, he sent his immigration officials to several Mississippi food processing plants where they terrorized thousands of workers. The raids were some of the biggest ever conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. A U.S. Immigration and …

Staff (2019-08-08). Kashmir Under Siege: India Moves to Annex Territory, Heightening Tensions with Nuclear Rival Pakistan. democracynow.org Tensions are escalating over the disputed region of Kashmir following India\'s revocation earlier this week of its special status, which granted the area some autonomy. Kashmir remains on lockdown, with internet and other communications blocked and leaders placed under house arrest. The Modi government has also deployed tens of thousands of additional troops in Kashmir. Pakistan announced Wednesday it would expel India\'s ambassador and stop its newly appointed envoy from assuming his position in New Delhi. It also announced it was cutting off all bilateral trade with India. We speak with three guests: Sanjay Kak,…

Staff (2019-08-08). Headlines for August 8, 2019. democracynow.org U.N. Scientists Warn Rapid Global Warming Threatens Food Supply, 680 Mississippi Poultry Workers Arrested in Massive Immigration Raid, ICE Raids Targeted Company Whose Workers Won Discrimination Lawsuit, Trump Visits Dayton and El Paso, Sites of Weekend Mass Shootings, El Paso Protesters Link Trump\'s Racist Rhetoric to Gunman\'s Manifesto, Trump Supporter with Loaded Pistol, Knife Arrested Outside El Paso Immigrant Center, Trump Suggests Antifa Shares Equal Blame for Deadly Violence, Democratic Presidential Candidates Say Trump Enables White Supremacists, SPLC: State Department Employee Secretly Worked as White Na…

splcenter (2019-08-08). SPLC statement on Mississippi immigration raids. splcenter.org Southern Poverty Law Center Attorney Julia Solórzano, with the SPLC\'s Immigrant Justice Project, issued the following statement on today's workplace raids in Mississippi:…

WSWS (2019-08-08). ICE rounds up nearly 700 immigrants in sweep through Mississippi poultry plants. wsws.org The Trump administration has given its real response to the fascist massacre in El Paso, Texas by carrying out the largest immigration raid since Trump entered the White House.

teleSUR (2019-08-08). Italy: Salvini Says Governing Coalition Splits, Wants Elections. telesurenglish.net The leader of Italy\'s ruling North League party, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, declared the governing coalition to be unworkable Thursday after months of internal bickering, announcing that the only way forward is to hold fresh elections. | RELATED: | Italy Senate Passes Salvini\'s Security Decree Against Migrants | In a statement, Salvini told Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who belongs to neither coalition party, that the North League alliance with 5-Star (M5S) had colla…

Staff (2019-08-08). Trump\'s America: Gun Violence and the War on Immigrants. truthdig.com The country was rocked by two mass killings this past weekend. The first was in El Paso, Texas. The slaughter of 22 people in El Paso\'s Cielo Vista Walmart was an act of a white supremacist. A manifesto he allegedly posted online shortly before the massacre echoed President Donald Trump\'s anti-immigrant and anti-Latino rhetoric. \"This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas,\" the alleged shooter wrote. | Late that night in Dayton, Ohio, throngs of people were enjoying the Oregon entertainment district when another white man in his 20s opened fire, killing nine people in about 30 seconds before poli…

Norman Solomon (2019-08-08). The Danger of Nancy Pelosi\'s Bad Attitude Toward Progressives. commondreams.org From left, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., gather in the Capitol before a rally with House Democrats on their first 200 days of the 116th Congress on Thursday, July 25, 2019. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/pelosi_hoyer_omar_2020_democrats.jpg …

teleSUR (2019-08-08). 7 Colombian Soldiers Sentenced For Extrajudicial Killing. telesurenglish.net Seven members of Colombia\'s armed forces were sentenced Thursday, to 34 years in prison for carrying out an extrajudicial killing. The sentence overturned a ruling last year that absolved the troops of responsibility. The killing was part of the \'false positives\' scandal, whereby civilians were murdered and then dressed in guerilla uniforms so that soldiers could claim rewards. | RELATED: | One Sector Blocks Peace in Colombia: Ex-FARC Guerrilla Leader | In 2006, seven soldiers k…

Chelli Stanley (2019-08-08). Visions of Peace: Dreams of a New Way. counterpunch.org After Medgar, Malcolm, and then Martin were killed, people realized there were forces in America that would keep Black people from achieving true freedom \"by any means necessary.\" When the Black Panther Party started to feed children at no cost, opened free health clinics, engaged in free public education, and tried to prevent the police More

The Canary (2019-08-08). Protesters condemn Trump as he visits cities rocked by gun massacres. thecanary.co Donald Trump has paid visits to two cities reeling from mass shootings that left 31 dead and dozens wounded, but his divisive words preceded him and prompted large protests and biting political attacks. | The president and first lady Melania Trump flew to El Paso, Texas, late on Wednesday after visiting the hospital in Dayton, Ohio, where many of the victims of Sunday\'s attack in that city were treated. | For most of the day, the Republican president was kept out of view of the reporters travelling with him, but the White House said the couple met hospital staff and first responders and spent time with wounded su…

Mahmoud Barakat (2019-08-08). Gaza Journalists Target of Israeli Snipers. globalresearch.ca Palestinian journalists covering the weekly protests against the decades-long Israeli occupation are complaining of being the target of Israeli snipers stationed along the border of the blockaded territory. | Since the protests began in March of last year, two journalists have …

Ali A. Taj (2019-08-08). Obama, Biden, Mattis and Clapper Expressed Skepticism on Syria, so Why Is Gabbard Singled Out? mintpressnews.com Why must Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard be smeared and attacked for questioning the mainstream narrative on Syria when even Barack Obama has done the same?

Reese Erlich (2019-08-08). Foreign Correspondent: The U.S. Trade War with China is Not Going So Well. progressive.org For the past year, the U.S. has escalated economic warfare with grudging acceptance by high-level Democrats and Republicans.

Stephen Lendman (2019-08-08). Escalating US War on China by Other Means. Undermining Stability in Asia-Pacific Region. globalresearch.ca The US is hostile toward all nations it doesn\'t control, waging war on them by naked aggression and other means, including against China. | Pressuring and bullying the country to bend to its interests failed, what Trump and hardliners surrounding him …

Stephen Lendman (2019-08-08). \"Economic Terror\": Trump Regime Aims to Starve Venezuelans into Submission. globalresearch.ca Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez | Under both extremist right wings of the US war party, the incremental Nazification of America may become full-blown in our lifetimes if not strongly challenged by the world community. | The Trump regime exceeds the worst …

Stephen Lendman (2019-08-08). \"Economic Terror\": Trump Regime Aims to Starve Venezuelans into Submission. globalresearch.ca Under both extremist right wings of the US war party, the incremental Nazification of America may become full-blown in our lifetimes if not strongly challenged by the world community. | The Trump regime exceeds the worst of its predecessors. Based on …

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2019-08-08). Venezuelan Gov\'t Suspends Dialogue as EU Criticizes US Embargo. venezuelanalysis.com The European Union objected to the \"extraterritorial application of unilateral measures.\"

Philip Giraldi (2019-08-08). Quincy Who? Another New Washington Think Tank Tests the Waters. globalresearch.ca Think tanks sprout like weeds in Washington. The latest is the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, which is engaged in a pre-launch launch and is attracting some media coverage all across the political spectrum. The Institute is named after …

Arabi Souri (2019-08-08). Why SAA Resumed the Military Operation against Al Qaeda to Clean Idlib. globalresearch.ca The latest 13th round of talks in Astana between the Syrian state with Russia and Iran as its guarantors on one side, and Al-Qaeda and the Turkish regime as it guarantor on the other side, would have slowly but steadily …

South Front (2019-08-08). Video: Quitting Cold Turkey. globalresearch.ca Until literally a couple of years ago, courtesy of its enviable position in Asia Minor positioned in direct proximity of USSR (during the Cold War), Iran (after the Islamic Revolution), Iraq, and of course Syria in most recent years, Turkey …

teleSUR (2019-08-08). Oil Rises More Than 2%, Expectations of More OPEC Cuts. telesurenglish.net Oil jumped more than 2 percent on Thursday on expectations that falling prices could lead to production cuts, coupled with a steadying of the yuan currency after a week of turmoil spurred by an escalation in U.S.-China trade tensions. | RELATED: | US Renews Chevron License in Venezuela Despite Trump Sanctions | Prices rebounded after tumbling nearly 5 percent to their lowest since January on Wednesday after data showed an unexpected build in U.S. crude stockpiles after nearly t…

Edward Hunt (2019-08-08). In Afghanistan, U.S. Faces Formidable Foes—Its Own Allies. progressive.org As the war approaches the end of its second decade, U.S. officials show no signs that they are willing to address the fundamental power dynamics that have fueled the war for so long. Meanwhile, innocent people die.

United Nations (2019-08-08). Steps taken to end Saudi \'guardianship\' system for women, \'encouraging\' start. un.org Allowing Saudi women to apply for passports and travel without their guardians\' permission is \"an encouraging move\" towards the \"complete abolition of the \'guardianship\' system,\" independent United Nations rights experts said on Thursday, but more action is needed to fully dismantle these restrictions.

Huzaifa Shahbaz (2019-08-08). Mobilizing Muslim Resistance to the War in Yemen. counterpunch.org Right now, the people of Yemen are suffering through the world\'s worst humanitarian disaster. The Saudi-led coalition, backed by the United States, continues to bomb Yemen and launch unlawful airstrikes that have hit homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques. This violence has left millions at risk of starvation and death due to repeated outbreaks of diseases More

Staff (2019-08-08). Judge Won\'t Reconsider $1,000-Per-Day Fines for Chelsea Manning. truthout.org | | A federal judge denied Chelsea Manning\'s motion to reconsider fines imposed against her for refusing to testify before the grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. He also undermined due process and refused to hold a hearing. | \"Manning has the ability to comply with the court\'s financial sanctions or will have the ability after her release from confinement,\" Judge Anthony Trenga ruled. \"Therefore, the imposed fines of $500 per day after 30 days and $1,000 per day after 60 days is not so excessive as to re…

Staff (2019-08-08). Biden Is Doubling Down on Iraq War Lies. truthout.org | | For the second consecutive Democratic debate, Joe Biden has failed to come to terms about his critical role in supporting the illegal, unnecessary, and predictably disastrous U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. | There is nothing new about this. Biden has a long history of inaccurate claims regarding that oil-rich country. For example, in the lead-up to the critical Senate vote authorizing the invasion, Biden used his role…