Peter Bolton (2019-07-09). Deconstructing Elliott Abrams on Venezuela. counterpunch.org On June 26, the Trump administration\'s so-called \"Special Representative for Venezuela,\" Elliott Abrams gave a five-minute update to reporters about the development of the coup attempt against the government of Nicolas Maduro, followed by a brief Q&A session. The event, held at the US State Department in Washington, was textbook Abrams: full of lies, loaded More

plenglish (2019-07-09). Venezuela Advocates for Peace in Political Dialogue with Opposition. plenglish.com Caracas, Jul 9 (Prensa Latina) The Venezuelan government ratified on Tuesday its commitment to a peaceful solution to the dialogues with the opposition, led by Norway based in Barbados.

plenglish (2019-07-09). Venezuelan Gov\'t Arrives in Barbados for Talks with Opposition. plenglish.com Caracas, July 9 (Prensa Latina) The Venezuelan Government\"s delegation arrived in Barbados to continue the political dialogue with the opposition representatives, sponsored by Norway since May 14.

Joseph Mangano (2019-07-09). High Cost of Nukes Even Higher If Medical Expenses Included. counterpunch.org Nuclear reactors are shutting in the U.S, and across the world. Reactors have always been dangerous, but over time they have also become more expensive than ever. A 2017 report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates U.S. reactors lose $2.9 billion per year in operations overall. Eight American reactors have closed permanently since 2013, and most of the remaining 97 units are very old and costly. More

Bernard Marszalek (2019-07-09). When Nature\'s Feedback Loops Fail. counterpunch.org Civilization Critical: Energy, Food, Nature and the Future by Darrin Qualman (Fernwood Publishing. Halifax, Winnipeg 2019) The title of Darrin Qualman\'s book, Civilization Critical, can easily be mistaken for an apocalyptic climate change tract. Given the weekly deluge of this grim genre in our bookstores, it is understandable. Regrettably, I believe, publishers in an effort More

Howard Lisnoff (2019-07-09). The D.O.A. Peace Movement Ain\'t Marching Much Anymore, But We Did. counterpunch.org We won\'t be erased or airbrushed out of history. Even though there appears to be no life in anything resembling a vibrant antiwar movement, especially on college campuses, the endless wars the U.S. now fights go on with lives lost and trillions of dollars of so-called national treasure thrown away. In 2018, I received an email from More

Dean Baker (2019-07-09). Why Aren\'t the Democrats Talking About Ending Patent Financed Drug Research? counterpunch.org Many of the leading Democratic candidates, especially Sanders and Warren, have been putting forward bold progressive plans in a wide variety of areas. Sanders and Warren have both supported a quick transition to a universal Medicare program, with no premiums, co-pays, or deductibles. Several candidates have supported a Green New Deal, which in some versions More

Medea Benjamin, Ann Wright (2019-07-09). Dogs of War Howl for Blood in Iran While Americans Cheer US Bombers on July 4. counterpunch.org President Trump\'s order to the Pentagon to have an aerial parade of military aircraft over Washington, DC on July 4 provided a history lesson of America\'s war mongering in the past two decades, and a terrifying view of what might appear in the skies of Iran if John Bolton gets his way. The combat aircraft More

Binoy Kampmark (2019-07-09). The US Imperium Comes Out. counterpunch.org The United States of Amnesia has occasionally found expression amongst those despairing at the state of historical consciousness in Freedom\'s Land. Gore Vidal remains something of its high priest, his writings a pertinent scolding about what went wrong in the creation of a New Rome in the Americas. From Pilgrim\'s Progress to the National Security More

Dan Corjescu (2019-07-09). Thinking About Fully Automated Luxury Communism. counterpunch.org Another world is possible and it is coherently presented in Aaron Bastani\'s new book entitled Fully Automated Luxury Communism: a Manifesto (Verso). The revolution is here and its main protagonist is technology. Bastani writes with almost messianic verve on how capital is about to transform itself into labor. It\'s all about humanity accelerating the possible practices More

John O\'Kane (2019-07-09). America First and Diverse. counterpunch.org What alliance of political voices will decide who the deserving are and what skills are needed? Should this task be left to the private sector, specific profit-driven companies that serve their own constituents first, to make it happen? Enlightened wonks sustained by the clout of peer-driven, but far-from-neutral research? How will the formula be constructed for determining how many should be processed? What\'s too little; too many? More

Patrick Cockburn (2019-07-09). The Seizure of an Iranian Tanker and the Lethal Toll of Sanctions. counterpunch.org The seizure of an Iranian oil tanker allegedly bound for Syria by British Royal Marine commandos off Gibraltar is the latest episode in the long and disastrous history of economic sanctions in the Middle East. The UK claims that it is implementing EU sanctions on Syria, but the act will be seen by Tehran — and most other states — as the British enforcing US sanctions on Iran that the EU said it opposes. An Iranian official said a British tanker should be seized in retaliation. More

Thomas Knapp (2019-07-09). Marianne Williamson is Right About American Elections. counterpunch.org Self-help guru Marianne Williamson isn\'t likely to win the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, despite having probably served the American public more ably than any of her opponents (among other things, her Project Angel Food delivers millions of meals to the seriously ill). Good works aside, she\'s a little too \"New Age,\" spiritual, and individualist/voluntarist-oriented for More

teleSUR (2019-07-09). Iran Warns UK That Oil Tanker Seizure Won\'t Go \'Unanswered\'. telesurenglish.net Britain\'s seizure of an Iranian oil tanker off Gibraltar last week will not be \"unanswered\", Iran\'s armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, said on Tuesday, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. | RELATED: | Iranian DM Says UK\'s Seizure of Tanker was \'Maritime Robbery\' | \"Capture of the Iranian oil tanker based on fabricated excuses … will not be unanswered and when necessary Tehran will give appropriate answer,\" Bagheri said. | British Royal Ma…

WSWS (2019-07-09). US steps up threats as Iran exceeds uranium enrichment cap. wsws.org Iran\'s government deliberately breached the agreement to pressure remaining signatories to the nuclear accord to counter crippling US economic sanctions.

Dan Lieberman (2019-07-09). It is not the Non-existent Iranian Bomb; it is the Other Existing Bombs. dissidentvoice.org United States (US) demands that Iran promise to halt pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile developments distract from the real intent of the US actions. Knowing that the Islamic Republic is not pursuing nuclear weapons and will react aggressively to sanctions, the US ploy deters other nations from establishing more friendly relations with Iran …

Halligan Agade (2019-07-09). South African parliament to clamp down on illegal land invaders. cgtn.com Illegal land invaders in South Africa have been put on notice with the parliament now saying it will take stern action against those implicated. | This coming in the wake of reports of attacks and invasion of a 7,500-hectare farm in KwaZulu-Natal Province over the weekend, where \"violent thugs\" torched the farm and allegedly threw the farm manager into a fire. | The manager was hospitalized with burns. | \"We must do all in our power to stem illegal farm invasions and ensure that such acts of criminality do not d…

teleSUR (2019-07-09). Far-Right Activist Tommy Robinson Begs Trump for Asylum. telesurenglish.net The vocal right-wing media personality, Tommy Robinson, has publicly begged U.S. President Donald Trump to grant him asylum ahead of his sentencing hearing in a contempt of court case. The so-called \'anti-Islamification\' activist is begging for asylum in the U.S. because he alleges that he will be killed in prison because U.K. jails are \"controlled by jihadi gangs.\" | RELATED: | Democrats Subpoena Trump Over Foreign Payments | \"I beg Donald Trump, I beg the American government, to look at my c…

WSWS (2019-07-09). Strong support for Julian Assange at Sri Lanka\'s Jaffna University. wsws.org SEP and IYSSE campaigners campaigned for a July 10 picket that will be held in defence of the WikiLeaks founder in the war-ravaged city.

WSWS (2019-07-09). Part 2: Stalinism, communism and anti-Semitism. wsws.org Hanebrink\'s false equation of Stalinism with communism leads to a significant and misleading omission in his discussion of the reemergence of anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe after World War II and internationally today.

Jonathan Cook (2019-07-09). Entry Ban at Israeli City Park provokes Apartheid Warnings. dissidentvoice.org The barring of a lawyer and her infant from a public park in the Galilee last week has triggered a legal battle over whether local authorities in Israel can segregate citizens on a racial basis. Human rights groups have warned that the ban marks a growing trend by local authorities representing the Jewish majority towards …

RT (2019-07-09). Pentagon solicits virtual reality tech to prep soldiers for \'battlefield nuclear warfare\'. rt.com The Pentagon has put out a call for virtual reality training environments with \"radiological/nuclear considerations\" — another sign that the US\' unhealthy obsession with nuclear warfare isn\'t going away anytime soon.

The Canary (2019-07-09). \'Tommy Robinson\' encouraged \'vigilante action\' in trial broadcast, judges find. thecanary.co Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson) encouraged \"vigilante action\" against defendants in a criminal trial when he filmed them and broadcast the footage on social media, High Court judges have found.The former English Defence League (EDL) founder, was found to have committed contempt of court at the end of a two-day hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday.Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Warby found Yaxley-Lennon was in contempt in three respects when he filmed men accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls and live-streamed the footage, in breach of a reporting ban, outside Leeds Crown Court in May 201…

DJ Mouse (2019-07-09). 7-6-19 Julian Assange and Press Freedom forum. indybay.org Wikileaks: the Global Fourth Estate author Nozomi Hayase and award winning reporter Ann Garrison defended Julian Assange at last Saturday\'s \'Suds, Snacks and Socialism\' at the Starry Plough…(142 min.)…

WSWS (2019-07-09). Global conflict situations, poverty lead to rise in mental health crises. wsws.org US imperialism and its allies bear principal responsibility for the wars and military interventions that have wrought devastation throughout the world.

Repost, Democracy Now! (2019-07-09). Japanese American Internment Survivors Protest Plan to Jail Migrant Kids at Prison Camp. indybay.org Japanese Americans, including at least one from San Francisco, demonstrated at Ft. Sill in Oklahoma on June 22, one day after President Trump directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to conduct a mass roundup of migrant families that have received deportation orders. They were met by uniformed military police who told them they did not have permission to congregate and might face arrest. \"You need to move right now!\" one of the officers shouted. \"What don\'t you understand? It\'s English: Get out.\"

teleSUR (2019-07-09). Bolsonaro\'s Approval Rating is Brazil\'s Lowest in Last 30 Years. telesurenglish.net Brazil\'s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro\'s has witnessed a recent surge in his disapproval rating as his month-over-month number has risen by three percent. | RELATED: | Brazil Crowned After Defeating Peru in Copa America Final | According to the polling company Datfolha, Bolsonaro\'s disapproval rating has jumped from 30 percent in April to 33 percent in the month of May. | The poll showed 33 percent of those surveyed considered Bolsonaro\'s government bad or very bad, up from 30 percent in th…

San Jose Peace & Justice Center (2019-07-09). The Coming Renewable Energy Revolution. indybay.org San José Peace and Justice Center | 48 South 7th Street | San José, CA 95112 | Bus routes: 22, 522, 23, 11, 63, 64, 72, 73, 81, Hwy 17 Express, MST 55, Dash, LRT, 181…

teleSUR (2019-07-09). Democrats Subpoena Trump Over Foreign Payments. telesurenglish.net A group of more than 200 Democratic Party lawmakers said in a statement that as part of lawsuit in federal court they had issued 37 subpoenas the Trump Organization and other entities, seeking information about foreign government payments accepted by properties in his real estate empire. | RELATED: | Pompeo Launches Commission to Study Human Rights Role | The subpoenas also seek information about trademarks granted to Trump businesses by foreign governments. | \"Our goal is simple and s…

Halligan Agade (2019-07-09). Oxfam report: Income inequality reaches crisis level in West Africa. cgtn.com There will be a high demand for food, which will be forced from fewer land and water resources. Image courtesy: The Trent | West African Governments have been blamed for the worsening poverty and inequality levels in their countries. According to the Oxfam and Development Finance International report published Tuesday, inequality is at crisis levels in West Africa. | The report said the divide between the wealthy and the poor continues to increase as a small number of people become extremely ric…

Halligan Agade (2019-07-09). Funding gaps derailing universal education in Africa. cgtn.com UNESCO is raising a red flag that the world and specifically sub-Saharan Africa is likely to miss a key deadline for ensuring universal education. | UNESCO in its findings says that progress in achieving universal education has stagnated mostly in low-income countries due to a halt in additional aid. | \"Four years ago, global leaders agreed that by 2030 all girls and boys should be able to complete free quality primary and secondary education, but funding gaps are holding back progress,\" a new report by the UN\'s educat…

WSWS (2019-07-09). Trump, Democratic presidential candidates raise more than $100 million. wsws.org The stage is being set for the most expensive campaign in US—and world—history, with estimates that ad spending could top $10 billion for the 2020 elections.

Jerry Omondi (2019-07-09). President Museveni awards Cranes one million dollars for AFCON 2019 show. cgtn.com Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has congratulated the country\'s national football team for their performance at the 2019 Africa cup of Nations, pledging $1 million to appreciate the work they put in. | The Uganda Cranes reached the Roound of 16 stage where they lost to Senegal by a solitary goal. | In the group stage, the East Africans beat DR Congo 2-0, drew with Zimbabwe 1-1 before losing 2-0 to hosts Egypt. | \"I\'m very happy the @UgandaCranes went up to the last 16. I know we will perform better next time. I will organize 1m dollars with the government to distribute it among the players and officials. Of…

Jerry Omondi (2019-07-09). UN Women welcomes Bosco Ntaganda\'s conviction. cgtn.com The United Nations Women has welcomed the conviction of Bosco Ntaganda by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes he committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2002 and 2003. | The Hague-based court found the former rebel leader, nicknamed the \'Terminator\', guilty on 13 counts of war crimes and 5 counts of crimes against humanity, including rape, sexual slavery, displacement of civilians, and enlisting and conscripting child soldiers under the age of 15 and using them to participate actively in hostilities. | \"The conviction is significant because, if the verdict is upheld on appeal, it wi…

Nino Pagliccia (2019-07-08). Faulty by Design: the UN Report on Human Rights in Venezuela. counterpunch.org Following Michelle Bachelet visit to Venezuela last June the official report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR ) on the situation of human rights in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was released on July 4, a day before initially scheduled. Judging by the quick review I made, the mainstream media is More

Stephen Lendman (2019-07-08). US and Europe to Iran: Do as We Say, Not as We Do — Or Else! globalresearch.ca The US considers itself master of the universe, demanding submissiveness from all other nations. | Its bipartisan ruling authorities tolerate no independent states or social democracies like Venezuela, no military or economic superpowers like Russia and China respectively — what hegemonic …

teleSUR (2019-07-08). Russian-Made S-400 Air Defense System is En Route to Turkey. telesurenglish.net Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday morning that Russia\'s S-400 air defense missiles are currently being prepared to be flown to Turkey. | RELATED: | Cuba, Turkey to Attend Venezuela\'s Transplant Patients | Speaking to reporters before leaving for Bosnia on Monday, Erdogan wouldn\'t say, however, when the Russian missile defense system would reach Turkey or where they will be deployed. | \"The preparations for the journey, the loading (of the S-400) is continuing ..

Max Blumenthal (2019-07-08). \'We\'re worse than Venezuela!\': Hondurans in US-backed regime speak out. thegrayzone.com Average Hondurans in the capital Tegucigalpa\'s central park tell Max Blumenthal their humanitarian crisis is much worse than Venezuela\'s. The…

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2019-07-08). Venezuela: Dialogue Resumes in Barbados as Guaido Vows to Return to US-led Military Pact. venezuelanalysis.com Self-proclaimed \"Interim President\" walked back promises not to sit down with the government.

Peter Koenig (2019-07-08). Venezuela — The Bachelet \"Human Rights Lie\" globalresearch.ca \"American sanctions are deliberately aiming to wreck Venezuela\'s economy and thereby lead to regime change. It\'s a fruitless, heartless, illegal, and failed policy, causing grave harm to the Venezuelan people.\"

teleSUR (2019-07-08). Venezuelan Delegation in Barbados for Dialogue With Opposition. telesurenglish.net A Venezuelan delegation arrived in Barbados on Monday to continue the process of peace dialogue with the opposition, which has been supported by the Government of Norway since last May 14. | RELATED: | Venezuelan Gov\'t and Opposition to Continue Negotiation Talks in Barbados | The sectoral vice president of Communication, Tourism and Culture, Jorge Rodríguez, through an official statement, disclosed on his Twitter account about the arrival of this group to the Caribbean nation to a…

Global Research News (2019-07-08). Selected Articles: UN Report on Human Rights in Venezuela Faulty by Design. globalresearch.ca A future without independent media leaves us with an upside down reality where according to the corporate media \"NATO deserves a Nobel Peace Prize\", and where \"nuclear weapons and wars make us safer\". | . | . | | | If, like us, this is …

United Nations (2019-07-08). UN agencies welcome regional road map to help integrate \'continuing exodus of Venezuelans\'. un.org A new road map adopted by Latin American and Caribbean countries, to help better integrate refugees and migrants from crisis-hit Venezuela into new host societies, drew a warm welcome from two UN agencies on Monday.

Ricardo Vaz (2019-07-08). Venezuelan Government Slams \'Biased\' UN Human Rights Report. globalresearch.ca The Venezuelan government has disputed the findings of a report released by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). | Having seen the report in advance of its publication, Caracas issued a 70-point statement pointing towards …

Peter Koenig (2019-07-08). Venezuela: The Bachelet Lie. dissidentvoice.org When reading the Bachelet Report on Human Rights, following HR High Commissioner\'s 3 day visit to Venezuela, published on Venezuela\'s National Holiday, 5 July, I saw that it makes hardly any reference to the deadly sanctions and blockades imposed by the United States. How is that possible? The High Commissioner for Human Right does not …

Mike Garrity (2019-07-08). Conservation Groups Challenge Logging and Burning Project in Idaho Roadless Area. counterpunch.org The Caribou-Targhee National Forest just approved the Rowley Canyon Wildlife Enhancement Project that would cut and burn 1,666 acres of sagebrush, juniper, maple, and mountain mahogany trees with mechanized, track-based, mastication equipment. But nothing about this project even marginally enhances habitat for wildlife. If the Forest Service accurately labeled the project, it would have been More

Renee Parsons (2019-07-08). 5G Complexities and National Security. counterpunch.org In case you missed the kickoff, there is an unprecedented \'must win\' wireless race for the US to cross the 5G finish line before China as alluded to during the recent Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing on the Federal Commerce Commission. The details were thin with no real discussion on the need for 5G or More

Kollibri terre Sonnenblume (2019-07-08). Do We Need a Dictatorship to Respond to Climate Change? counterpunch.org Globally, June 2019 was the hottest June on record. Though it is tricky to attribute any particular event to anthropogenic climate change, scientists estimate that the likelihood of the month\'s extreme heat was made five times more likely by human contributions. This heat is no anomaly. The top ten hottest years on record globally have all More

Elliot Sperber (2019-07-08). The Ethics Lesson (or: To Kill a Shark). counterpunch.org The Ethics Lesson (or: To Kill a Shark) For some it\'s more important To make money, turn a profit, Than to kill a shark — to slice its fins off And toss it back into the water To drown, slowly, on the sea floor And, for some, it\'s more important That that shark should live More

Binoy Kampmark (2019-07-08). Going Nuclear in the Antipodes: Australia\'s Megadeath Complex. counterpunch.org The antipodes has had a fraught relationship with the nuclear option. At the distant ends of the earth, New Zealand took a stand against the death complex, assuming the forefront of restricting the deployment of nuclear assets in its proximity. This drove Australia bonkers with moral envy and strategic fury. The New Zealand Nuclear Free More