RT (2019-11-28). Trump backs Hong Kong protesters, signs \'human rights\' bill… \'out of respect for President Xi\'? rt.com President Donald Trump has approved legislation backing Hong Kong\'s \'pro-democracy\' protest movement, disregarding Beijing\'s repeated warnings for Washington to mind its own business and stop meddling in China\'s internal affairs. | Dubbed the \'Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act,\' the bill blazed through both houses of Congress earlier this month with virtually unanimous consent from lawmakers. In addition to threatening sanctions over human rights violations, the law requires the State Department to \"certify\" once a year whether Hong Kong enjoys sufficient \"autonomy,\" though exactly how officials will qu…

pip.hinman (2019-11-28). Trump\'s impeachment and the US \'national interest\'. greenleft.org.au democracy Barry SheppardIssue 1247 United States Donald Trump impeachmentNovember 28, 2019The Democratic impeachment inquiry began when a \"whistleblower\" revealed that US President Donald Trump had pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to open a…

Jimmy Carter, Karin D. Ryan (2019-11-27). How Empowering Women and Girls Can Help Solve the Climate Crisis. commondreams.org Making sure girls receive equal access to education and professional opportunities will unleash the untapped creativity that could produce needed breakthroughs. (Photo: Greenpeace) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/greenpeace_0.jpeg …

Scott Ritter (2019-11-27). NATO Is as Good as Dead. truthdig.com When the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded some 70 years ago, its first secretary-general, Lord Ismay, famously noted that the purpose of the treaty alliance was \"to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.\" NATO\'s mission was to secure peace in Europe, promote cooperation among its members and guard their freedom by countering the threat posed by the Soviet Union at the time. This latter point was critical—by signing onto…

Vijay Prashad (2019-11-27). How to commit war crimes—and get away with it. mronline.org U.S. President Donald Trump sacked his Navy secretary on Twitter because he did not follow Trump\'s advice and retain Navy Special Warfare Operator Edward Gallagher, despite Gallagher being accused of stabbing to death a wounded fighter, of murdering a schoolgirl and an elderly man, and then of obstructing justice. | Source

John Pilger (2019-11-27). The Lies about Julian Assange Must Stop Now. dissidentvoice.org Newspapers and other media in the United States and Britain have recently declared a passion for freedom of speech, especially the right to publish freely. They are worried by the \"Assange effect\". It is as if the struggle of truth-tellers like Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning is now a warning to them: that the thugs who dragged …

The Canary (2019-11-27). Nurses grill Boris Johnson on policies during hospital visit. thecanary.co Boris Johnson faced probing questions from nurses on a visit to the West Cornwall Hospital in Penzance as he kicked off a day of campaigning in the county.The prime minister met patients and nurses as he toured the wards but was challenged on his general election campaign pledges as he drank tea with staff on a medical ward.One student nurse told the PM how she was \"struggling\" financially because of tuition fees and asked him about his plans to bring back the nursing bursary.Johnson said: \"We\'re definitely bringing back the bursary … but I\'ll have to check that (on tuition fees).\"Boris Johnson speaks with pati…

Eds. (2019-11-27). Legalienate hails democratic coup in Bolivia. mronline.org Legalienate editors Frank Scott and Michael Smith, who declared themselves co-president of the United States in February, today hailed the self-proclaimed presidency of Jeanine Añez in Bolivia as a harbinger of democratic self-determination throughout the world. | Source

Andrea Mazzarino (2019-11-27). Bearing Witness to the Costs of War. counterpunch.org There is some incongruity between my role as an editor of a book about the costs of America\'s wars and my identity as a military spouse. I\'m deeply disturbed at the scale of human suffering caused by those conflicts and yet I\'ve unintentionally contributed to the war effort through the life I\'ve chosen. I am More

Eds. (2019-11-27). Australian bushfire crisis spreads as PM denies climate change link. mronline.org Even before summer has begun, bushfires and toxic smoke have threatened the lives, health and homes of millions of people in nearly every Australian state and territory this week. The fire emergencies that first erupted two weeks ago in two states have spread across the country, worsened by dust storms, asthma alerts and electricity blackouts. | Source

Julie Hollar (2019-11-27). We\'re Still Waiting for \'Early and Often\' Climate Debate Questions. fair.org As the Democratic Party prepared for its first presidential primary debates in June, climate activists pushed the DNC to schedule a single-issue debate on the climate crisis, given the urgency of the problem and the lack of attention given to it in previous debates. DNC chair Tom Perez refused, saying he had \"the utmost confidence\" that climate disruption would be discussed in the debates \"early and often\" (FAIR.org, 6/18/19). | Now that seven nights of debates have passed, and multiple…

Staff (2019-11-27). Impeachment Fight Not Swaying Voters in Swing-State Wisconsin. truthdig.com RACINE, Wis.—There\'s not a lot that Republicans and Democrats in this political battlefield agree on, but the impeachment probe into President Donald Trump may have surfaced one: The public hearings aren\'t moving the needle. | \"Everything they say, it\'s so repetitive. To me, it\'s like they\'re beating their heads against the wall,\" said Harry Rose, a 78-year-old retired factory worker and Trump supporter in Racine County, a swing county in the swing state of Wisconsin. | Nicole Morrison, a 36-year-old nurse who can\'t see herself voting for Trump in 202…

Murtaza Hussain (2019-11-27). Did an American Billionaire Philanthropist Play a Role in the Imprisonment of Iranian Environmentalists? theintercept.com In September 2017, a group of Iranian environmentalists working on Asiatic cheetah preservation with the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation felt a pang of alarm. Thomas S. Kaplan, a billionaire precious metals investor then best known for his fine art collection, had just made a surprise public appearance in New York at the annual conference of United Against Nuclear Iran. The Iranian environmentalists were concerned because their group had gotten aid from one of Kaplan\'s nonpolitical charities. Now, he was sp…

Eds. (2019-11-27). The human cost of nuclear weapons is not only a \"feminine\" concern. mronline.org The nuclear weapons world is full of subtle and not-so-subtle misogyny, and I\'ve had my share of experiences: Fighting my way onto an otherwise all-male panel, only to have my speaking time cut short. Meeting a male colleague at a conference for the first time, where he immediately told me that he liked the red […] | Source

Staff (2019-11-27). The Real Reason Michael Bloomberg Is Running for President. truthdig.com Given that a wealth tax could cost him more than the most lavish presidential campaign, it\'s no wonder he\'s putting up billions in 2020.

Ramzy Baroud (2019-11-27). Israel\'s Next Move: The Real Danger in US Decision to Normalize Illegal Jewish Settlements. mintpressnews.com U.S. foreign policy regarding the Israeli occupation has become a mere rubber stamp, that allows Israel\'s extreme right-wing government to single-handedly determine the fate of the Palestinian people.

Albert Bender (2019-11-27). A National Day of Mourning for U.S. Indigenous. peoplesworld.org American history books discuss the \"Thanksgiving\" that took place between the Pilgrims and the Indigenous people in the now-Northeast United States. It can seem consoling, particularly in these times of apparent rising racial conflict, to read stories of Native people and settlers breaking bread, feasting on turkey, cranberry sauce, and other foods from the bounty …

Jacob Sugarman (2019-11-27). Glenn Greenwald Sounds the Alarm on Bolsonaro\'s Brazil. truthdig.com As is so often the case with the commander-in-chief, it wasn\'t his words so much as what they might portend. On Monday, while feting Conan the military dog for his alleged role in the raid on Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi—a ghastly, jingoistic celebration in its own right—Donald Trump joked that he might sic the canine on a White House reporter. \"It\'s trained that if you might open your mouths, you will be attacked,\" he quipped. \"You ought to be very, very careful.\" | For the time being, these th…

Staff (2019-11-27). AOC Raised More Money Than Any Other House Democrat in Third Quarter. truthout.org Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez raised more money for reelection than any other House Democrat in the third quarter of 2019, an achievement the New York Democrat touted as a testament to the power of grassroots fundraising over schmoozing with corporate lobbyists and wealthy executives. | The New York Post reported late Tuesday t…

Wyatt Reed (2019-11-27). With the right-wing coup in Bolivia nearly complete, the junta is hunting down the last remaining dissidents. thegrayzone.com On the day of my scheduled interview with a leftist Bolivian journalist, I learned that he had been disappeared. Every…

United Nations (2019-11-27). 270 million people are migrants, who send home a staggering $689 billion. news.un.org The number of international migrants in 2019 is now estimated at 270 million and the top destination remains the United States, at nearly 51 million, the UN migration agency said on Wednesday.

WSWS (2019-11-27). Australian PM rejects Pamela Anderson\'s appeal that his government defend Assange. wsws.org The refusal of the Coalition and Labor to uphold Assange\'s rights as an Australian citizen is inextricably tied to their support for the US alliance and their own turn to police state measures.

WSWS (2019-11-27). Doctors\' open letter defending Julian Assange wins global support. wsws.org An open letter by doctors urging action to save the life of imprisoned WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange has received international media coverage, winning growing support among doctors.

Norman Solomon (2019-11-27). When Progressives in Congress Let Us Down, We Should Push Back. counterpunch.org Last week, the Democratic leadership put an extension of the Patriot Act into a \"continuing resolution\" that averted a government shutdown. More than 95 percent of the Democrats in the House went along with it by voting for the resolution. Both co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Pramila Jayapal and Mark Pocan, voted yes. So More

Staff (2019-11-27). Asylum Seekers Are Being Misclassified Under Migrant Protection Protocols. truthout.org A lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Brownsville, Texas, last Wednesday on the behalf of a 23-year-old woman who fled Honduras and was returned to the streets of Matamoros, Mexico, by U.S. immigration authorities in late July. | The petition filed on the behalf of the woman (identified as X.E.G.M. under conditions of anonymity requested by two San Antonio-based attorneys with San Antonio Region Justice For Our Neighbors) was one of a series of writ of habeas corpus petitions filed on the be…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2019-11-27). Global Warming and the Ozone Layer: What\'s More Dangerous, CO2 or Nuclear War? globalresearch.ca Prof. Max Gluckman (1911-1975) showed how ritualized forms of rebellion against those in power \"through a controlled expression of hostility\" ultimately leads to the reinforcement of the established structures of authority. Is that not what is happening today? The movement against capitalism is funded and supported by capitalism.

Staff (2019-11-27). 20 Years After Battle of Seattle, Activists Reflect on Historic WTO Protests. truthout.org Twenty years ago this week, tens of thousands of activists gathered in Seattle to shut down a ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization. Grassroots organizers successfully blocked world leaders, government trade ministers and corporate executives from meeting to sign a global trade deal that many called deeply undemocratic, harmful to workers\' rights, the environment and Indigenous people globally. On November 30, 1999, activists formed a human chain around the Seattle convention center…

teleSUR (2019-11-27). Afghanistan Peace Talks More Likely Than Before: US Top General. telesurenglish.net The chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark Milley said Wednesday that the chances of a successful outcome from peace talks on ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan were higher than before and could happen in the \"near term.\" | RELATED: | Pentagon Chief in Afghanistan as US Aims to Restart Taliban Talks | \"With a bit of luck, we\'ll have successful negotiations in the near term, not too distant future,\" Milley added as he arrived in Afghanistan o…

Olivia Arigho-Stiles (2019-11-27). Bolivian Police Gas Funeral March in Latest Crack-Down. counterpunch.org Last Thursday thousands of people descended into La Paz from El Alto carrying the caskets of eight people shot dead by police earlier that week. Emotions were running high and protestors had tears streaming down their faces. They had assembled peacefully to demand justice. More

Journeyman Pictures (2019-11-27). Video: The Revolution Business: Does the USA Sponsor \"Color Revolutions\" and \"Regime Change\"? globalresearch.ca First published in 2011, this carefully researched documentary, how the US manipulate protest movements and carry out \"color revolutions\". | The Revolution Business, 2011 — Consultants are helping people countries like Ukraine and Egypt build a foundation of knowledge in order …

teleSUR (2019-11-27). US Stands by Colombia Govt during Protests, Pompeo tells Duque. telesurenglish.net U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed \"steadfast support\" to Colombia\'s far-right government as it faces public protests and marches against economic austerity plans, corruption and police violence, President Ivan Duque in a phone call on Wednesday, according to a State Department spokeswoman. | RELATED: | Colombia: Protests Intensify After a Young Man Was Shot Dead | \"Secretary Pompeo reaffirmed the United States\' steadfast support for the government of Colombia in its ef…

Charles Glass (2019-11-27). With American Help, Lebanon Once Again Nears the Abyss. thenation.com With American Help, Lebanon Once Again Nears the Abyss…

Howard Lisnoff (2019-11-27). The High Crimes of Selling Churros and Loosies in NYC. counterpunch.org Within about a half hour of going into an apartment complex in Harlem in New York City, I came out to hundreds of demonstrators chanting at the entrance to the ramp that leads to the Madison Avenue Bridge. That ramp connects the boroughs of the Bronx and Manhattan. Some protesters held signs reading Black Lives More

John Feffer (2019-11-27). Will Impeachment Affect Trump\'s Reelection Chances? commondreams.org A protestor at Trump\'s inauguration (Photo: Mark Dixon via Wikimedia Commons) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/impeachment_0.jpeg …

teleSUR (2019-11-27). Colombia: Protests Intensify After a Young Man Was Shot Dead. telesurenglish.net Colombian citizens took to the streets on Wednesday to participate in a national strike where expressions of outrage over the death of 18-year-old young Dilan Cruz abound. | RELATED: | Colombia: Strike Committee Rejects Expanded Dialogue With Gov\'t | Through social networks, Colombians were able to watch the precise moment in which an officer of the Mobile Anti-Disturbances Squadron (ESMAD) shot Dilan, who was running to avoid repression. | The scenes show that the police do not fo…

Ken Stone (2019-11-27). The War on Syria: Vanessa Beeley\'s Lecture Tour in Canada. globalresearch.ca We are pleased to announce a lecture tour of Canada by the internationally-acclaimed British journalist, Vanessa Beeley. | Ms. Beeley is one of only a handful of journalists in the world qualified to answer questions about the war in Syria …

Philip Giraldi (2019-11-27). Media Lies About Syria, Trump Flip-Flops, Blunders? globalresearch.ca Recently The New York Times featured two op-eds by resident hacks Bret Stephens and Tom Friedman as well as a featured editorial, all on the subject of Syria and how the Trump administration has betrayed the American people. The pieces …

Stephen Lendman (2019-11-27). Turkey Rejects US Demand to Return Russian S-400s. globalresearch.ca The capabilities of Russia\'s S-400 air defense system is unmatched by anything in the West. | China was Russia\'s first foreign buyer, its military saying it \"saw that the S-400 system by its capabilities today is unparalleled in the world in …

Stephen Lendman (2019-11-27). Why the Trump Regime Toppled Bolivia\'s Evo Morales. \"He Wasn\'t Our Guy\" globalresearch.ca In a word, he wasn\'t \"our guy\" in La Paz, Bolivia\'s political capital. | He didn\'t surrender the sovereign rights of the nation and people to US interests. | He was democratically elected and reelected four times, serving from January 22, 2006 …

Robert Fisk (2019-11-27). How Belfast Prepared Me for the Middle East. counterpunch.org Compared to the Middle East, Northern Ireland was a safe assignment. Tragic, sectarian, brutal, hypocritical; the little civil war — for that is what it was — was what the British army\'s intelligence people called a \"low-intensity\" conflict. We journos did our stories. Then we went home to our rented accommodation in Belfast. And we More

Ramzy Baroud (2019-11-27). Israel\'s Next Move: The Real Danger in US Decision to Normalize Illegal Jewish Settlements. dissidentvoice.org It is hardly shocking that the United States government has finally decreed that illegal Jewish settlements which have been built in defiance of international law, are, somehow, \"consistent\" with international law. US foreign policy has been edging closer towards this conclusion for some time. Since his advent to the White House in January 2017, President …

Johanna Ross (2019-11-27). BBC Under Increasing Criticism for Biased Reporting. globalresearch.ca It\'s almost as British as fish and chips and a pint, but what used to be embraced by the masses as a reliable source of information, the BBC, is now under increasing scrutiny for its overt political bias. With the …

Mark Taliano (2019-11-27). Video: \"Les cendres de la guerre\" with Dr. Ayssar Midani. globalresearch.ca Reporting from Joubar, a suburb of Damascus, Dr. Ayssar Midani shines a light on realities of the NATO war against Syria, and against civilization itself. | She takes us to places from which terrorists fired their missiles onto children, men, and …

Peter Koenig (2019-11-27). Iran\'s Barter Trade Deals with China, By-Passing the US-Dollar, \"Dedollarizing\" Her Economy. globalresearch.ca According to a PressTV Report of 24 November, 2019, Iran and China are working on a trade or barter deal that would circumvent US sanctions. It would bypass US-dollar denominated transactions, exchanging Iranian oil for Chinese goods and services and …

Areeb Ullah (2019-11-27). Boris Johnson\'s Tory Party Manifesto Vows to Ban Boycott Campaigns (BDS) against Israel. globalresearch.ca Britain\'s ruling Conservative party has vowed to ban UK public bodies from participating in boycott and divestment campaigns of any foreign country in its manifesto. | The Conservative Party\'s proposals could mean new legislation will bar local government bodies and universities …

Stefan Andreasson (2019-11-27). Fossil Fuel Divestment Will Increase Carbon Emissions, Not Lower Them — Here\'s Why. globalresearch.ca A global campaign encouraging individuals, organisations and institutional investors to sell off investments in fossil fuel companies is gathering pace. According to 350.org, US$11 trillion has already been divested worldwide. | But, while it may seem a logical strategy, divestment …

Washington\'s Blog (2019-11-27). The Real Reason America Used Nuclear Weapons Against Japan. It Was Not To End the War Or Save Lives. globalresearch.ca Like all Americans, I was taught that the U.S. dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in order to end WWII and save both American and Japanese lives. But most of the top American military officials at the time said otherwise.

F. William Engdahl (2019-11-27). Glyphosate Worse than We Could Imagine. \"It\'s Everywhere\" globalresearch.ca Glyphosate residues have been found in tap water, orange juice, children\'s urine, breast milk, chips, snacks, beer, wine, cereals, eggs, oatmeal, wheat products, and most conventional foods tested. It\'s everywhere.

Simon Watkins (2019-11-27). A New Pipeline Could Undo America\'s Influence in Asia. globalresearch.ca From the moment that the U.S. re-imposed sanctions in earnest on Iran late last year, Pakistan has been looking at ways to resuscitate a deal that had been agreed in principle before the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive …

Tom Anderson (2019-11-27). The Role of British Universities in Supporting Israel\'s Demolitions of Palestinian Homes. globalresearch.ca Palestinians are calling for people internationally to take action against the companies complicit in Israel\'s systematic demolition of Palestinian homes. This article focuses on British university partnerships with JCB, Caterpillar,…