Brian Terrell (2019-10-21). The United States Air Force at Incirlik, Our National \"Black Eye\" counterpunch.org Current events concerning Turkey and the Kurds in Syria remind me of a conversation I had with a US Air Force colonel almost 17 years ago in a courtroom in Des Moines. To refresh my memory, I dug deep into my closet and dusted off the transcript of the case, \"STATE OF IOWA, plaintiff vs. More

Victor Grossman (2019-10-21). Thoughts on impeachment. mronline.org The main impeachment thrust aims at minor events in the Ukraine. The whole approach ignores, indeed covers over the fact, that the whole U.S. policy of violently turning the Ukraine into a U.S.-dominated satrapy and advanced base was achieved by a Democratic administration. | Source

RT (2019-10-21). Bot race! Mitt Romney admits he\'s \'Pierre Delecto,\' anon Twitter handle who \'liked\' impeachment, never-Trumpers & Romney posts. rt.com Utah Senator Mitt Romney has come clean about running a secret anonymous Twitter handle — \"Pierre Delecto\" — which passive-aggressively dumped on Trump and other Republican rivals while puffing up Romney and his allies. | Mitt Romney is Pierre Delecto. Pierre Delecto is Mitt Romney. The ultra-wealthy Mormon senator, recently rumored to be testing the waters for yet another presidential run, admitted he was behind the nom de tweet on Sunday after telling an Atlantic reporter he had a secret account — \"What do they call me, a lurker?\" — created to monitor political conversation. | Mitt Romn…

RT (2019-10-21). Ditch the Kurds, grab the oil? Trump says US \'never committed\' to Syrian allies, but SecDef says Washington still committed to oil. rt.com President Donald Trump has said that the US never committed to the security of Kurds in northern Syria, ahead of the end of the Turkish ceasefire. His defense secretary meanwhile says the US troops had a job to \"secure the oil.\"

W. T. Whitney Jr. (2019-10-21). Protests in Haiti show signs of eventually producing change. peoplesworld.org Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Food availability is uncertain for 60 percent of the people. Conditions are bleak, and bleaker still from shortages, rampant political corruption, and not much to show after two years of regular street protests. In the year prior to September, security forces killed 77 people. That month …

Bryan Ellis (2019-10-21). Right-wing enemy of Venezuela opens Sarasota lecture season. liberationnews.org On Wednesday, regime change advocate and former diplomat Diego Arria will be speaking in Sarasota. The talk, titled \"Venezuela: A Real Threat in Our Backyard\", is being held at Mildred Sainer Pavilion at New College of Florida. It will be the first lecture in this year\'s high-profile foreign affairs lecture series, which Sarasota World Affairs Council (SWAC) has hosted annually since 2014.

Leonardo Flores (2019-10-21). USAID funds salaries of Venezuelan politicians as it doubles down on the coup. mronline.org The payment of Mr. Guaidó\'s representatives is a serious conflict of interest. Does the Guaidó team represent the Venezuelan people or the interests of the government that is paying their salaries? It is a point worth reiterating: a foreign politician is being paid by the United States to influence policy in the United States. | Source

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2019-10-21). US Out Of Syria And The Middle East. dissidentvoice.org US Out of the Middle East, Los Angeles protest against bombing in Syria from ABC7.com. Stop The Turkish Invasion Of Syria The crisis in Syria has taken a new direction with the Turkish invasion into the Northeast ostensibly to push the Kurdish peoples out. The US has added to this crisis by its green light …

Staff (2019-10-21). $260 Million Deal Averts 1st Federal Trial on Opioid Scandal. truthdig.com The trial would have involved two Ohio counties, but was seen as a test case that could prod opposing sides toward a nationwide settlement.

Staff (2019-10-21). U.S. Takes Step to Require DNA Samples From Asylum-Seekers. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is planning to collect DNA samples from asylum-seekers and other migrants detained by immigration officials and will add the information to a massive FBI database used by law enforcement hunting for criminals, a Justice Department official said. | The Justice Department on Monday issued amended regulations that would mandate DNA collection for almost all migrants who cross between official entry points and are held even temporarily. | The official said the rules would not apply to legal permanent residents or anyone entering the U.S. legally, and children under 14 are e…

Rachel Domond (2019-10-21). Heroic rebellion in Haiti demands ouster of U.S. puppet President Jovenel MoàØse. liberationnews.org The huge crowds are heroically taking to the streets to defend Haitian sovereignty from the murderous military forces and corrupt, corporate interests that dominate the Haitian government.

Jim Kavanagh (2019-10-21). The Empire Steps Back. counterpunch.org What everyone is most upset about with regard to Syria isn\'t the bloodshed or anything having [to] do with human rights. It\'s the decline in American control of the Middle East. This is 100% about US imperialism taking a hit. — Rania Khalek, (@RaniaKhalek) October 14, 2019 A series of Donald Trump\'s decisions, culminating in More

Chuck Collins (2019-10-21). Who is Buying Seattle? The Perils of the Luxury Real Estate Boom. counterpunch.org Seattle is experiencing a luxury real estate boom, with thousands of new luxury residential and rental units in different stages of development. A decade from now, Seattle\'s skyline and population demographics will be fundamentally altered by decisions being made today. This boom does have benefits, providing jobs in the building trades and increasing property tax More

Rev. William Alberts (2019-10-21). Myopic Morality: The Rehabilitation of George W. Bush. counterpunch.org It\'s a nice story if you don\'t think beyond it: former president George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, sitting in the Cowboys\' owner\'s luxury suite with Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi at a Dallas Cowboys/Green Bay Packers NFL game. \"People were upset,\" DeGeneres was quoted as saying. \"They thought, why is a gay Hollywood liberal sitting next to a conservative Republican president. . . . A lot of people were mad . And they did what people do when they\'re mad . . . they tweet.\" Rather than sharing any negative tweets, DeGeneres offered a positive one: \" \'Ellen and George Bush together makes me have fait…

Ralph Nader (2019-10-21). Where are the Influentials Who Find Trump Despicable? counterpunch.org The British political philosopher, John Stuart Mill, was a man of many pithy phrases. Possibly his most widely quoted assertion is that \"Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.\" This quote fits the Trump age perfectly. Where are you, Barack Obama? Obama is still polling higher than any other politician, active or retired. More

Norman Solomon (2019-10-21). Beware, Pete Buttigieg Is a Sharp Corporate Tool. commondreams.org Pete Buttigieg, aka Mayor Pete, is the mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Buttigieg is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in 2020. (Photo illustration: DonkeyHotey/flickr/cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/mayor_pete_mayor_elite.jpg …

Ryan Cristián (2019-10-21). Turkey Breaks Ceasefire, US \"Secures Syria\'s Oil\" & Assange\'s Torture & Violation Of Rights Exposed. thelastamericanvagabond.com Welcome to The Daily Wrap Up, a concise show dedicated to bringing you the most relevant independent news, as we see it, from the last 24 hours (10/19/19). As always, take the information discussed in the video below and research it for yourself, and come to your own conclusions. Anyone telling you what the truth …

Chris Hedges (2019-10-21). Pity the Kurds. commondreams.org President Donald Trump\'s abandonment of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria is another chapter in a sad and heartless game, repeatedly replayed, in which Kurdish forces are armed and used to achieve the strategic aims of rival nation-states and then discarded. (Drawing: Mr. Fish) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/pity-the-kurd.jpg …

Max Blumenthal (2019-10-21). The US Has Backed 21 of the 28 \'Crazy\' Militias Leading Turkey\'s Brutal Invasion of Northern Syria. globalresearch.ca Former and current US officials have slammed the Turkish mercenary force of \"Arab militias\" for executing and beheading Kurds in northern Syria. New data from Turkey reveals that almost all of these militias were armed and trained in the past …

Kevin Zeese (2019-10-21). Stop the Turkish Invasion of Syria. US Out of Syria and the Middle East. globalresearch.ca The crisis in Syria has taken a new direction with the Turkish invasion into Syria ostensibly to push back the Kurdish peoples. The US has added to this crisis by its indifference toward the Kurds after using them as a …

Ryan Grim (2019-10-21). Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Why She Backed Bernie Sanders Over Elizabeth Warren. theintercept.com On stage at a rally in Queens on Saturday, and in interviews beforehand with The Intercept, NBC News, and CBS News, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expounded on her decision to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders in the presidential primary. Perhaps as important as her endorsement was the motivation behind it: If Ocasio-Cortez portrayed Sanders as the only trustworthy candidate in a field of sellouts and shills, it could make uniting the party after the nomination — either behind Sanders or one of his opponents — that much more difficult. But Ocasio-Cor…

John Feffer (2019-10-21). The Far Right\'s War on the World. commondreams.org U.S. Border Patrol agents process immigrants from Central America while taking them into custody on August 17, 2016 near Roma, Texas. (Photo: John Moore/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ice_children_850_567_0.jpeg …

Charlie Simmons (2019-10-21). How the Tax System Rewards Polluters. counterpunch.org Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist who sparked student protests across the globe, had this to tell the UN General Assembly in New York: \"People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairytales of More

Sam Husseini (2019-10-21). Catholic Activists Stand Trial for Protesting Nuclear Weapons. thenation.com Catholic Activists Stand Trial for Protesting Nuclear Weapons…

Thom Hartmann (2019-10-21). Is War on the Menu for 2020 Elections? commondreams.org Kurdish activists wears a mask of the American president Donald Trump during demonstration against the ongoing Turkish military operation in the northeastern Syria on October 19,2019 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Photo: Paulo Amorim/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/trump_war_2020.jpg …

Sarah Abed (2019-10-21). Ceasefire Ends, Talks on Syria Between Erdogan and Putin Begin. globalresearch.ca Monday marks the thirteenth day since Turkey began its third cross border military operation in Syria ironically named \"Operation Peace Spring\". In the past two weeks civilian and militant lives on both sides have been lost, a large exodus has …

Nino Pagliccia (2019-10-21). Peace Restored in Ecuador. But Is Trust Restored? globalresearch.ca 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 …

United Nations (2019-10-21). UN Security Council calls for South Sudan leaders to speed up action on peace deal. un.org In a visit to South Sudan this past weekend, members of the UN Security Council urged leaders to expedite implementation of a 2018 peace agreement aimed at ending six years of ongoing conflict.

teleSUR (2019-10-21). Bachelet Urges Government Dialogue and Peaceful Protests. telesurenglish.net The High Commissioner of the United Nations Organization for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet asked Chilean President Sebastian Piñera to use dialogue as well as asking protesters to demonstrate peacefully. | RELATED: | Chile Unrest Rages on as 11 Dead Amid Curfew, Militarization | \"I urge the Government to work with all sectors of society towards solutions that help calm the situation,\" Bachelet said in a statement. | The former Chilean president admitted feeling \"very sad…

Boaventura de Sousa Santos (2019-10-21). Ecuador: From The Middle of the World to the End of the World. commondreams.org Demonstrators shouted slogans outside the national assembly in Quito, Ecuador on Oct. 8, 2019 following days of protests against the sharp rise in fuel prices sparked by the government's decision to scrap subsidies. (Photo: by Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyimages-11746351991.jpg …

Ad Hoc Committee (2019-10-21). Protest Pacifica Coup: 1999 Redoux? Stop The Coup! indybay.org KPFA LSB Meeting, South Berkeley Senior Citizens Center, 2939 Ellis St, Berkeley, CA 94703…

Derek Seidman (2019-10-21). Fifty Years Ago Today, US Soldiers Joined the Vietnam Moratorium Protests in Mass Numbers. globalresearch.ca Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the October 15, 1969 Moratorium, perhaps the most important US protest during the war against Vietnam. | Millions turned out across the United States in a historic day of action. Nothing else so conveyed …

teleSUR (2019-10-21). General Strike Called in Chile in Support of Protests. telesurenglish.net Miners and dockers unions in Chile called for a general strike in support of the protests against the government of President Sebastián Piñera, while the head of the National Defense Javier Iturriaga said Monday that he is not at war with anyone. | RELATED: | Chilean GOT Actor Pedro Pascal Shows Support for Protests | \"The truth is that I am not at war with anyone,\" General Iturriaga said when asked about the latest statements by the president, who said Sunday he was \"at war against…

Fight Back (2019-10-21). Patriotic Korean students enter U.S. ambassador\'s Seoul compound, demand U.S. troops out now. fightbacknews.org On October 18 a group of Korean students entered the U.S. ambassador\'s residential compound in Seoul, Korea to protest the continuing presence of U.S. troops in their country. 20 people, who belong to a coalition of progressive students, scaled the wall of the diplomatic compound and began a demonstration against the U.S. occupation of their county. The students chanted \"We don\'t need U.S. troops,\" and \"Get out!\" before being escorted out by police. 19 of the students were detained and questioned by south Korean police. | There are an estimated 28,000 U.S. troops in southern Korea who are essentially engaged in m…

Jonathan Cook (2019-10-21). Tulsi Gabbard Is Right, and Nancy Pelosi Wrong. It Was US Democrats Who Helped Cultivate the Barbarism of ISIS. globalresearch.ca There is something profoundly deceitful in the way the Democratic Party and the corporate media are framing Donald Trump\'s decision to pull troops out of Syria. | One does not need to defend Trump\'s actions or ignore the dangers posed …

Kathy Kelly (2019-10-21). Taking Next Steps Toward Nuclear Abolition. counterpunch.org My friend Marianne Goldscheider, who is 87, suffered a broken hip in July, 2018 and then, in June 2019, it happened again. When she broke her hip the first time, she was running, with her son, on a football field. After the second break, when she fell in her kitchen, she recalls her only desire More

Stephen Lendman (2019-10-21). US Syria Pullout? A Saigon Moment? globalresearch.ca The 1972 Church/Case amendment ended congressional funding for US military operations in Southeast Asia — except for withdrawal of Pentagon forces, subject to release of prisoners of war. | In June 1973, congressional legislation ended all funding after August 15. After …

Andre Vltchek (2019-10-21). India Is Confused; Where Does It Go from Here? globalresearch.ca At J. Nehru University, most students know about China and Russia only from the BBC, Reuters and other Western media outlets. Even those individuals who claim they belong to the left are not immune; influenced mainly by the British propaganda….

Prof. Alon Ben-Meir (2019-10-21). Trump\'s Disgraceful Letter to Erdogan. globalresearch.ca There is no wonder that every person and news outlet that saw Trump\'s letter to Turkey\'s president Erdogan thought it was a joke. When it was confirmed that the letter was indeed authentic, bewilderment and disbelief struck everyone who read …

Eliza Egret (2019-10-21). Governments remain silent as evidence mounts that Turkey is using white phosphorus. thecanary.co Warning: this article contains images that some readers may find distressing | Social media has been swamped with photos and videos of people with burns so horrific that it\'s a miracle they\'ve survived. Turkey has been accused of using white phosphorus on…

Staff (2019-10-21). Pentagon Chief Says US Forces Leaving Syria Are Shifting to Iraq. truthout.org President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that he is \"bringing soldiers home\" from Syria as Turkey continues its deadly military operation there, but Pentagon chief Mark Esper undermined the president\'s declaration by confirming that U.S. forces are simply moving to another site of endless war — Iraq. | American troops \"aren\'t coming home and the United States i…

Staff (2019-10-21). As Trump Aids and Abets Turkey\'s War Crimes, the UN Must Act. truthout.org Nearly two weeks have passed since Turkey launched its ground and air attack on Rojava, the autonomous region of northeast Syria, following Trump\'s sudden removal of 1,000 U.S. troops from the area. | While the United States and Turkey reached a \"ceasefire\" agreement on October 17, there are ongoing reports of viol…

Kasim Tirmizey (2019-10-21). Indigenous Rising in Ecuador and International Solidarity. globalresearch.ca While many Canadians were celebrating Thanksgiving weekend, events in Ecuador generally did not catch media attention. After 11 days of an indigenous-led national general strike and state repression, an agreement was achieved by both parties on the night of October …

WSWS (2019-10-21). The death of Elijah Cummings: Democrats, media glorify a mediocrity. wsws.org The real purpose of the flowery tributes was to give a \"progressive\" gloss to the House Democrats\' impeachment campaign, in which Cummings played a significant role.

Adeyinka Makinde (2019-10-21). \"No Angels\": Kurdish Militias, \"Betrayal\" and the Campaign to Destroy Syria. globalresearch.ca It is presently fashionable, but totally erroneous to aver that the Kurds have been \"betrayed\". The truth is that the Kurds and the Americans have used each other for their mutual ends in the Syrian War, a catastrophe orchestrated by …

Rachel M. Cohen (2019-10-21). Warren Wants to End Vouchers and Tax Credits for Private Schools and Rein in Charters. theintercept.com Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a wide-ranging education plan Monday, pledging to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into public schools if she wins the presidency, paid in part through her proposed two-cent tax on wealth over $50 million. Warren\'s plan is infused with her broader campaign themes of reducing corruption and fraud; she backs measures like new taxes on education lobbying, limiting the profiteering of tech companies that sell digital products to schools, and curbing self-dealing within chart…

Nick Buxton (2019-10-21). Trump\'s border wall is a multi-billion dollar corporate handout. nationofchange.org The militarisation of the US border has led to an increase in migrant deaths and a windfall for the security industry.

WSWS (2019-10-21). This week in history: October 21-27. wsws.org 25 years ago: Assassination of Gamini DissanayakeOn October 24, 1994, Gamini Dissanayake, United National Party (UNP) candidate for president of Sri Lanka, was assassinated at an election rally. An explosion detonated by a suicide bomber from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) killed 50 others and injured 200 more.

Robert Koehler (2019-10-21). The Collusion of Church and State. counterpunch.org Intrigued by the controversy that erupted over Secretary of State Mike Pompeo\'s speech before the American Association of Christian Counselors last week in Nashville — it was titled \"Being a Christian Leader\" and was eventually removed from the State Department website — I wound up reading the whole speech. And I actually found one paragraph More

Scott Ritter (2019-10-21). The Four A\'s of American Policy Failure in Syria. globalresearch.ca The ceasefire agreement brokered by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday accomplishes very little outside of putting window dressing on a foregone conclusion. Simply put, the Turks will be able to achieve their objectives …