Anthony DiMaggio (2019-10-18). Trump as the \"Anti-War\" President: on Misinformation in American Political Discourse. counterpunch.org It is a great propaganda victory for Donald Trump that he has managed to sell himself as \"anti-war.\" Broadly speaking, Trump has no anti-war bona fides to draw upon. He\'s torn up the Iran agreement, while threatening war in its place. He\'s threatened to \"totally destroy\" North Korea. Trump has presided over consistent increases in spending for the American warfare state. And he\'s engaged in more drone strikes than Obama up to this point in both presidencies. Trump has put forward no timetable for the final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. He\'s continued for more than two years the U.S. military presenc…

Daniel Beaumont (2019-10-18). Pressing Done Here: Syria, Iraq and \"Informed Discussion\" counterpunch.org Yes, Iraq too again. Innocent Iraqis, most of them young, are being shot and killed now by the hundreds as they protest the corruption and incompetence of the current government. The title of Patrick Cockburn\'s last article about Iraq is \"Iraq is in Revolt\" (CounterPunch, October 7, 2019). The US \"liberation\" of Iraq in 2003 More

Ian Goodrum (2019-10-18). LeBron \'scandal\' over Hong Kong comments shows depth of anti-China psychosis. peoplesworld.org A measured answer to a loaded question. We don\'t get enough of them these days. LeBron James of the NBA\'s Los Angeles Lakers demonstrated tact and thoughtfulness when he broke his silence on Houston Rockets manager Daryl Morey\'s tweet in support of the Hong Kong protests, lodging no opinion on the protests themselves and calling …

Mark Gruenberg (2019-10-18). Impeachment crisis: Mulvaney admits guilt but says \"get over it\" peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—Trump\'s approach now is to brazenly admit to almost everything he has been charged with and hope that by doing so people will think there was no \"secret\" conspiracy and that even clearly illegal acts are therefore \"ok\" because \"everyone does them.\" In the latest revelation of potential \"treason, bribery and other high crimes and …

Staff (2019-10-18). Why I Can\'t Get Excited About Impeaching Trump. truthdig.com This piece originally appeared on Chicago Reader. | Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has begun an impeachment inquiry into President Trump for asking Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter. I get that there is a strong desire for many Americans to be rid of what they see as the national nightmare of Trump\'s presidency. But I urge caution for several reasons. | First, this impeachment inquiry will not succeed in getting rid of Trump. To win, a super…

Ashley Smith (2019-10-18). Stop the Normalization of Concentration Camps. counterpunch.org After dragging its feet for months, the Democratic Party has finally launched an impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump. While this is welcome news, there is a danger that we will become transfixed by the proceedings in Washington and stop organizing the resistance against Trump, especially against his racist war on immigrants and refugees. That would More

The Canary (2019-10-18). Extinction Rebellion climate protester scales Big Ben scaffolding. thecanary.co An Extinction Rebellion protester has scaled the scaffolding surrounding Big Ben and draped two banners from the structure.Footage of the stunt circulated on social media showed the climber, who appeared to be dressed as Boris Johnson complete with a blond wig, shirt, tie and jacket.A spokesperson for the group said the climber was 42-year-old tree surgeon Ben Atkinson.He said Atkinson was climbing the tower to \"highlight Government inaction on the climate and ecological emergency\".The protester, who was also wearing green leggings, draped two signs carrying the group\'s slogans.The protester scaled the scaffoldin…

Olivia Rosane (2019-10-18). G7 summit at Trump\'s Miami resort: Climate change \"not on the agenda\" peoplesworld.org Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney made two controversial announcements about the 2020 Group of Seven (G7) summit: it will be hosted at one of President Donald Trump\'s golf resorts in Miami and it won\'t feature any discussion of the climate crisis. \"Climate change will not be on the agenda,\" Mulvaney told reporters, as The Guardian reported. Mulvaney\'s …

C.J. Atkins (2019-10-18). Canadian election: How long can Trudeau\'s Liberals wear a left disguise? peoplesworld.org TORONTO—Justin Trudeau won in 2015 on a left-leaning platform filled with pledges to tax the rich, make elections more democratic, and save the world from climate change. But four years, a number of scandals, and several broken promises later, it\'s getting harder for his Liberal Party to make Canadians think it\'s the modern progressive force …

M. G. Piety (2019-10-18). \"Grim Positivism\" vs. Truthiness in Biography. counterpunch.org Clare Carlisle took exception to my review in the Times Literary Supplement of her biography of Kierkegaard (\"Alone for dinner\" TLS 4 October 2019). She accused me in a letter to the editor in the next edition of being either \"unable or unwilling to approach [her] life of Kierkegaard on its own terms, i.e., as More

Jeremy Kuzmarov (2019-10-18). Russophobia at Democratic Party Debate. counterpunch.org Russophobia was on full display during Tuesday night\'s Democratic Party debate, with ominous repercussions for the future of American foreign policy. When asked what he would do to stand up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Beto O\'Rourke stated that we \"must hold Russia accountable for invading the world\'s greatest democracy and being able to do More

Kathleen Wallace (2019-10-18). Trump Can\'t Survive Where the Bats and Moonlight Laugh. counterpunch.org During the Trump presidency there has been much talk about the lack of civility—the nature of discourse infecting the nation. There is a surreal sensation to it—that this is somehow new, but the only thing new about it is that the naked hate is just a bit more evident now. Are there more raging racists More

Daniel Warner (2019-10-18). Greta the Disturber. counterpunch.org Greta Thunberg has become an international figure. The sixteen-year-old Swedish environmental activist has gone from a lonely student skipping school on Fridays to protest for more action on global warming to being nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize. Greta has become a global player. The New York City Board of Education officially excused over More

Rebecca Gordon (2019-10-18). Extorting Ukraine is Bad Enough But Trump Has Done Much Worse. counterpunch.org Recently a friend who follows the news a bit less obsessively than I do said, \"I thought George W. Bush was bad, but it seems like Donald Trump is even worse. What do you think?\" \"Well,\" I replied, \"in terms of causing death and destruction, I suspect Bush still has the edge.\" In fact, the More

Clark T. Scott (2019-10-18). Cross-eyed, Fanged and Horned. counterpunch.org Almost 700 years ago, as many people in Europe were trying to climb out of the squalor of so-called feudalism, Ambrogio Lorenzetti painted a series of frescos in the Palazzo Pubblico of Siena which included two allegorical representations of how government can operate. One allegory represented good government and its effects on the land and More

Andrew Levine (2019-10-18). What\'s So Awful About Foreign Interference? counterpunch.org The idea that our \"democracy\" is under attack by foreign adversaries rings hollow to anyone who thinks about it for more than a second or two, or rather it should. The reason is obvious: we don\'t have a democracy to attack. What we have are more or less — generally less — democratic elections. For More

Pete Dolack (2019-10-18). The Fight to Overturn the Latest Corporate Coup at Pacifica Has Only Begun. counterpunch.org Crisis is never far away at the Pacifica radio network, but it is now facing perhaps its worst crisis ever as a new \"corporate coup\" has, at least for now, shut down WBAI in New York City. Pacifica listeners and on-air hosts have successfully fought back against prior attacks on the progressive network, most notably More

John Kendall Hawkins (2019-10-18). Journey to the Unknown Interior of (You). counterpunch.org Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream It is not dying It is not dying Lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void — The Beatles, \"Tomorrow Never Knows\" (1966), inspired by Timothy Leary\'s The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead I was recklessly musing about Julian More

Joseph Natoli (2019-10-18). Trump on the March. counterpunch.org \"Did we stand on the sidelines and say nothing?\" Elijah Cummings 1951-2019 \"I, in my great and unmatched wisdom. ..\" \"Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart.\" — President Donald Trump tweets \"[U]nprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and More

Naureen Shah (2019-10-18). Why is the Trump Administration Trying to Tear This 26-Year-Old DACA Recipient Away From Her Child? aclu.org Anahi Jaquez —Estrada is scared. As soon as Monday, she may be deported to a country she hardly knows: away from her 8-year-old daughter and her husband, both of whom are United States citizens. She has lived in the U.S. almost her entire life and is in the process of becoming a lawful permanent resident. Her story is at once exceptionally tragic and a paradigmatic example of how our immigration legal system is failing — and tearing families apart. | I met Anahi in late July at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention site in Aurora, Colorado, where she has spent the last year and a…

CounterSpin (2019-10-18). Khury Petersen-Smith on Turkey & the Kurds, Alex Vitale on the Purpose of Policing. fair.org Media…

RT (2019-10-18). You didn\'t really think all Russian assets & Kremlin puppets in the US have already been exposed, did you? rt.com The 2020 presidential election is still more than a year away, but you wouldn\'t know that to look at all the Russian plots to subvert it breathlessly discussed in US media. Who are these recently exposed Kremlin agents? | READ MORE: Russian assets in America. A field guide | Ever since the election of Donald Trump as president in 2016, the US media has been ferreting out the Russian meddlers within the country, as it\'s their patriotic duty to do. Not even the disappointment of the Mueller report finding no Russian collusion could stop them &#150…

The Canary (2019-10-18). UK higher education must be decolonised, students warn. thecanary.co UK universities are \"a product of colonialism\" and action is still needed to challenge \"racist structures\" in institutions, students have warned.In a plan setting out its priorities for the future, the National Union of Students says that some parts of UK higher education \"have propagated systems that assure white privilege\" and that the system must be \"decolonised\".Universities have recognised there is a need to dismantle these systems, the union said, but more needs to be done to create a \"truly liberated education\".The call comes at a time of a number of campaigns. Some have focused on calling for individual u…

RT (2019-10-18). Boeing in more trouble over messages \'misleading\' FAA about 737 MAX problems — reports. rt.com Text messages between two Boeing employees implying they \"lied to the regulators\" about problems with the safety software of 737 MAX passenger jets have been reportedly given to investigators, as the planes remain out of service. | The exchanges from 2016 between MAX chief technical pilot Mark Forkner and another unnamed pilot at Boeing are now with the Federal Aviation Administration, according to documents seen by Reuters. | The FAA is said to have found the information \"concerning\" and is reviewing it \"to determine what action is appropriate.\" FAA Administrator Steve Dickson also wrote to Boeing CEO Dennis…

Minnie Bruce Pratt (2019-10-18). Syracuse, N.Y. says: \'Close the Camps\' with people\'s power. workers.org \"Up, up with liberation! Down, down with deportation!\" rang out Oct. 11 as more than 75 people marched through the streets of downtown Syracuse, N.Y. They were responding to a national call for Close the Camps actions that day to \"Stop the war on immigrants, Indigenous peoples and refugees!\" At . . . | Continue reading Syracuse, N.Y. says: \'Close the Camps\' with people\'s power at Workers.org

Staff (2019-10-18). Trump\'s Withdrawal From Forever War Is Just Another Con. truthdig.com If the president is truly committed to bringing our troops home, why has he increased their presence across the Greater Middle East?

RT (2019-10-18). \'I\'m the Meryl Streep of generals!\' Former Pentagon chief Mattis revels in Trump insult as #Resistance demands dirt. rt.com Former US Defense Secretary James Mattis bragged President Donald Trump had called him \"the most overrated general,\" comparing himself to similarly \'overrated\' actress Meryl Streep, while the #Resistance clamored for more. | \"I\'m not just an overrated general. I\'m the most overrated general,\" the former Pentagon chief boasted during the keynote speech at the Al Smith Memorial Foundation dinner on Thursday. \"I\'m honored to be considered that by Donald Trump because he also called Meryl Streep an overrated actress.\" | So I guess I\'m the Meryl Streep of generals, and frankly that sounds pretty good to me. | Warmi…

RT (2019-10-18). No birds allowed in this nuclear apocalypse: US Navy \'doomsday\' aircraft grounded by bird strike. rt.com A Navy \"doomsday\" aircraft designed to be used as a command center in a nuclear war was knocked out of commission — by a bird, which caused over $2 million in damages when it was sucked into an engine during a test flight.

Workers World Philadelphia bureau (2019-10-18). Potluck solidarity with striking GM workers. workers.org Around 100 United Auto Workers\' supporters gathered in Langhorne, Pa., at the General Motors Service Parts Operation warehouse on Oct. 13. Workers, both unionized and not, came from surrounding New Jersey and Pennsylvania cities and towns, some from as far away as Philadelphia to break bread and barbeque in a . . . | Continue reading Potluck solidarity with striking GM workers at Workers.org

RT (2019-10-18). WATCH: Lady Gaga plunges off stage after leaping into fan\'s arms. rt.com Pop performer Lady Gaga took a serious tumble off stage during her latest performance in Las Vegas. The singer had jumped into the arms of a fan when he lost his footing and the pair plummeted to the ground below. | Fans can be heard gasping and screaming in horror, fearing the worst for Gaga. | Though both appeared uninjured and retook the stage shortly afterwards, the fan, called Jack, was visibly distraught. \"Everything\'s ok,\" Lady Gaga said after getting back on her feet and looking for a way back onto the stage, before telling Jack, \"it\'s not your fault.\" | She even joked that she\'d \"be very upset\" if…

Staff (2019-10-18). Blast at Afghan Mosque Kills 62 at Prayer. truthdig.com The violence comes a day after a United Nations report said that Afghan civilians are dying in record numbers in the country\'s increasingly brutal war.

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J S Davies (2019-10-18). Trump\'s Fake Withdrawal From Endless War. commondreams.org Kurdish Syrian civilians flee the town of Kobane on the Turkish border on October 16, 2019 as Turkey and its allies continue their assault on Kurdish-held border towns in northeastern Syria. – Turkey rebuffed international pressure to curb its military offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria today as US President Donald Trump dispatched his deputy Mike Pence to Ankara to demand a ceasefire. (Photo: Bakr Alkasem/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_endless_war_syria_kurds.jpg …

Staff (2019-10-18). Trump Administration\'s Denials of H-1B Visas Are Being Overturned at Record Rate. truthout.org This story is part of a collaboration with Mother Jones. | Since 2017, as part of its efforts to \"hire American,\" the Trump administration has been aggressively denying applications for H-1B visas. Yet a record number of those denials have been overturned on appeal, suggesting that the administration has been wrongfully rejecting qualified applicants for these coveted visas for high-skilled immigrants. | While President Donald Trump\'s crackdown on undocumented immigrants has grabbed public…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2019-10-18). The Eurozone In Crisis? New President of the European Central Bank (ECB) has a Criminal Record. Christine Lagarde. globalresearch.ca Lagarde was found \"guilty\" without the enforcement of a one year prison sentence. She was accused of \"negligence\" rather than \"complicity\" in a multimillion euro fraud. She was rewarded rather than penalized.

teleSUR (2019-10-18). Activists Mount \"Sick-In\" To Highlight Pollution in Chile. telesurenglish.net Greenpeace activists and residents of communities suffering from industrial pollution created a mock hospital ward outside the Chilean presidential palace on Thursday to demand that the government commit to shutting down coal-fired power plants by 2030. | RELATED: | Greenpeace: Indonesian Firms Involved in Fires Have Not Been Punished | About 20 people were lying in hospital beds, hooked up to oxygen tanks and covered by sheets \"stained\" with pollution. | The aim of the…

Stephen Lendman (2019-10-18). Tulsi Gabbard, the Only Anti-War Progressive US Presidential Aspirant. globalresearch.ca Gabbard deserves praise for being anti-war and on the right side of other major issues. | Her \"vision for America\" includes world peace over endless US wars, no longer \"supporting allies and partners of al-Qaeda, ISIL, Jabhat Fateh al Sham and …

Nino Pagliccia (2019-10-18). Peace Restored in Ecuador, But is trust? counterpunch.org After ten people were reported killed on the streets of Ecuador, together with about 2,000 people injured and a large number imprisoned, an agreement was reached between the Lenin Moreno government and protesters against a controversial Decree 883 that had the footprint of the neoliberal austerity policies of the IMF. For the time being the More

Peace Action of San Mateo County (2019-10-18). Sharon Tennison\'s Closer Look at Russia. indybay.org Unitarian Universalists of San Mateo | 300 E. Santa Inez Avenue | San Mateo, CA 94401…

Revolution Books (2019-10-18). Hong Kong! Discussion on the mass protests & 70th anniversary of the Chinese Revolution. indybay.org REVOLUTION BOOKS | 2444 Durant Ave. | Berkeley, CA 94704…

Stephen Lendman (2019-10-18). Contradictory US/Turkey Ceasefire in Northern Syria. Turkey is Playing the US and Russia Cards Simultaneously. globalresearch.ca On Thursday in Ankara, Turkish President Erdogan met with Mike Pence and Pompeo, a joint statement by both sides issued following talks. See below. | Trump regime hardliners want their imperial agenda in Syria continued, notably aiming to undermine Russian efforts …

Reese Erlich (2019-10-18). Foreign Correspondent: Trump Dumps Kurds as the Empire Crumbles. progressive.org They say politics makes strange bedfellows. So does war.

Kathy Kelly (2019-10-18). Death, Bloodshed, and Misery in Yemen. globalresearch.ca Writing about his visit to the world\'s largest weapons bazaar, held in London in October, journalist Arron Merat describes reading the slogan emblazoned above Raytheon\'s stall: \"Strike With Creativity.\" Raytheon manufactures Paveway laser-guided bombs—produced in factories in the United States …

Sasha Abramsky (2019-10-18). Trump\'s Support May Be Dwindling, but His Assault on Regulations Continues. thenation.com Trump\'s Support May Be Dwindling, but His Assault on Regulations Continues…

Brandon Smith (2019-10-18). The Syrian Debacle Is Actually Well Planned Chaos. globalresearch.ca For many years now I have focused a considerable amount of analysis on the subject of Syria, with an emphasis on the country\'s importance to the global elites as a kind of geopolitical detonator; the first domino in a …

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2019-10-18). It\'s Curtains for US in Syria. Russia, Iran Owe Big Thanks to Erdogan. globalresearch.ca The scenario agreed on behind the curtains through months of confidential exchanges, often one-on-one, between the Russian and Turkish leaders regarding north-eastern Syria is entering a critical phase of implementation on the ground with the agreement between the Kurds and …

Staff (2019-10-18). Is Trump More Concerned With Erdoƒüan Relationship Than With Kurdish Lives? truthout.org After meeting with Vice President Mike Pence in Ankara on Thursday, Turkish officials agreed to temporarily pause Turkey\'s invasion of the Rojava autonomous region in northeast Syria in exchange for the lifting of U.S. sanctions. While the agreement may prevent further bloodshed and blunt a growing humanitarian crisis, it represents a victory for Turkey\'s authoritarian president and a setback for Syrian Kurdish militias that allied with the United States in the fight against ISIS. | The Syrian D…

teleSUR (2019-10-18). Massive Blast Kills 62 People in Eastern Afghanistan. telesurenglish.net Blasts in a mosque in eastern Afghanistan during Friday prayers killed at least 62 men who had gathered for worship, local officials said. | RELATED: | Afghanistan Election-Related Violence Left 85 Dead: UN Report | Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for Nangarhar province\'s governor, said there were multiple blasts from explosives placed inside the mosque in the Jawdara area of Haska Mena district. | The roof of the mosque had completely fallen in. | Sohrab Qaderi, a member of the…

Andre Vltchek (2019-10-18). US and China \"Trade\" War? dissidentvoice.org It is very popular these days to talk and write about the \"trade war\" between the United States and China. But is there really one raging? Or is what we are witnessing simply a clash of political and ideological systems: one being extremely successful and optimistic, the other depressing, full of dark cynicism and nihilism? …

Andre Vltchek (2019-10-18). US-China \"Trade\" War? No Way. Only the Defeat of Turbo-Capitalism! globalresearch.ca It is very popular these days to talk and write about the \"trade war\" between the United States and China. But is there really one raging? Or is it, what we are witnessing, simply a clash of political and ideological …

teleSUR (2019-10-18). Honduran President\'s Brother Found Guilty of Drug Trafficking. telesurenglish.net A New York Federal Court on Friday found Juan Antonio Hernandez (aka Tony), the brother of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH), guilty of charges of drug trafficking, use of weapons and lying to authorities. | RELATED: | Honduras President\'s Brother Allegedly Sold Drugs to Drug Dealer | During this trial President JOH was denounced by…