Barrett Brown (2019-10-31). An Open Letter To Twitter Regarding The Safe Space It\'s Created for Nazis. counterpunch.org Text of email sent to press@Twitter.com, 10/25/2019 Sirs- This is Barrett Brown. I\'m a longtime journalist and the recipient of the National Magazine Award for commentary, the New York Press Club award for humor, the Folio award for best local coverage, and other such awards in recognition of my journalism and opinion writing. I\'m also More

Mark Gruenberg (2019-10-31). Full House votes to approve Trump impeachment roadmap. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—The full U.S. House voted to approve today, 232 to 196, an impeachment roadmap, making the inquiry an official one and detailing the next steps, including open public hearings. The vote maker almost inevitable the day the full House will make Trump the fourth president in U.S. history impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors. The …

RT (2019-10-31). Congress approves \'impeachment\' resolution authorizing Schiff\'s secret probe of Trump. rt.com The US House of Representatives has approved a resolution authorizing the impeachment probe of President Donald Trump, despite Republican opposition arguing that the \"Soviet-style\" bill lacks transparency and due process. | The 232-196 vote ended up being almost entirely along party lines, with only two Democrats voting against and no Republicans voting for the resolution. | The White House has reacted to the outcome with a statement saying that \"with today\'s vote, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats have done nothing more than enshrine unacceptable violations of due process into House rules,\" adding that the \"un…

Andrew Quilty (2019-10-31). A CIA-Backed Militia Targeted Clinics in Afghanistan, Killing Medical Workers and Civilians. theintercept.com On the night of March 8, 2019, four staffers at a Swedish-run health clinic in Afghanistan\'s Wardak Province ate together, talked around a thermos of tea, and bedded down for the night in the guard\'s room. They were awakened some time later by the thump of helicopter rotors followed by distant explosions echoing from farther up the Tangi Valley. The sounds were not unusual in Wardak, where for 20 years there has been little respite from war, and the four went back to sleep. | The men were jolted awake again sometime after midnight. The main gate to the clinic, which was next to the guard\'s room, had been blown in…

Staff (2019-10-31). CIA-Trained Afghan Forces Behind War Atrocities, Report Finds. truthdig.com ISLAMABAD — Heavily armed men burst into the home in the middle of night, hustling four brothers into separate rooms, their hands bound. Afghan special forces then shot them in the head and heart. The operation, the CIA-trained Afghan unit said, targeted Islamic State militants in a remote region of eastern Nangarhar Province. | In reality, the raid took place in the province\'s capital of Jalalabad, within earshot of Justice Ministry offices. In an interview with The Associated Press, the family said the dead brothers included a school teacher and an assistant to a member of Afghanistan\'s parliament. The tr…

Nick Pemberton (2019-10-31). Bernie, Liz, and Rosa. counterpunch.org \"Bernard Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are from different parties but agreed on 93 percent of votes in the 115th Congress (2017-18). It is unusual for two members of different parties to agree on so many votes. Out of 583 votes in the 115th Congress, they agreed on 543 votes, including 40 major votes.\" —ProPublica The More

Patrick Cockburn (2019-10-31). Baghdadi Had No Real Answer for the Crumbling of His Caliphate. counterpunch.org The Arab Spring uprisings in 2011, notably in Syria, presented Baghdadi and ISI with an opportunity for swift expansion as the Syrian government lost control of large parts of the country. Al-Baghdadi sent seasoned militants and fighters, money and weapons to establish Jabhat al-Nusra as the leading rebel organisation, though its dependence on ISI was at first kept secret. More

Ramzy Baroud (2019-10-31). The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinian Christians that Nobody is Talking About. counterpunch.org Palestine\'s Christian population is dwindling at an alarming rate. The world\'s most ancient Christian community is moving elsewhere. And the reason for this is Israel. Christian leaders from Palestine and South Africa sounded the alarm at a conference in Johannesburg on October 15. Their gathering was titled: \"The Holy Land: A Palestinian Christian Perspective\". One More

Jeffrey Sommers (2019-10-31). 53206: The Poverty of Politics. counterpunch.org The proposed plant (Strauss Meats) straddles Milwaukee\'s 53206 zip code, notorious for its de-industrialization induced blight and poverty. Century City is the rebranded 80 acre \"business park\" that once housed A.O. Smith, once the largest producer of auto and truck frames in the United States. At its peak, it employed nearly 8000 industrial union workers. These jobs delivered solid incomes to African-Americans in the 53206 and adjacent zip codes. A.O. Smith\'s closure, along with a larger deindustrialization underway in Milwaukee, struck a death blow to middle-class aspirations for many of the city\'s African-Amer…

Thomas Knapp (2019-10-31). Don\'t Make Zuckerberg America\'s Political Truth Czar. counterpunch.org Politicians lie. Not all of them. Not every time. But most of them, from both \"major\" political parties, lie. A lot. It\'s not always easy to tell when they\'re lying. It\'s not always easy to prove they\'re lying. Often, it\'s not even easy to tell if they\'re just lying to us or to themselves as More

John Grant (2019-10-31). Donald Trump and the New, New World Order. counterpunch.org When the going gets weird, the weird go pro. (Hunter Thompson) For weeks, I\'ve been reading New York Times stories that, as a military veteran of the anti-war movement for the past 35 years, really blow my mind. For one thing, President Trump is in a domestic, political war with what he and his allies call More

RT (2019-10-31). Trump says Melania \'wouldn\'t cry her eyes out\' if he were shot — joke explodes on Twitter. rt.com US President Donald Trump has, apparently, confirmed that his wife Melania would not be moved to tears if he happened to get shot — and Twitter has quickly taken it as a window into the first couple\'s much-discussed marriage. | Speaking to a Republican audience at a private fundraiser at the Trump Hotel in Washington on Tuesday, Trump brought up the 2017 shooting of House minority whip Steve Scalise. | Trump recalled that, when he visited Scalise in hospital, the politician\'s wife had \"cried her eyes out\" — a reaction he would not, apparently, expect from Melania — or most wives, for that matte…

Staff (2019-10-31). Iraq\'s Prime Minister Resigns Amidst Largest Protests Since 2003. therealnews.com Iraqi security forces have killed hundreds of protesters who want to uproot the corrupt political system tied to Iran and established after the U.S. occupation.

Andre Vltchek (2019-10-31). Beirut is Burning: Rebellion Against the Elites has Commenced. dissidentvoice.org Tires are burning, smoke is rising towards the sky. It is October, the 18th day of the month, the capital city of Lebanon, in the past known as the \"Paris of the East\", is covered in smoke. For years I was warning that the country governed by corrupt, indifferent elites, could not hold together indefinitely. …

Staff (2019-10-31). The \'Saving Grace\' of Donald Trump\'s Presidency. truthdig.com Let us stipulate at the outset that Donald Trump is a vulgar and dishonest fraud without a principled bone in his corpulent frame. Yet history is nothing if not a tale overflowing with irony. Despite his massive shortcomings, President Trump appears intent on recalibrating America\'s role in the world. Initiating a long-overdue process of aligning U.S. policy with actually existing global conditions just may prove to be his providentially anointed function. Go figure. | The Valhalla of the Indispensable Nation is a capacious place, even if it celebrates mostly white and mostly male diversity. Recall that in the ei…

Emile Schepers (2019-10-31). Argentina elections: A move forward or just a swing of the pendulum? peoplesworld.org There was good news out of Argentina for the working-class movement at the beginning of this week, as the neoliberal government of right-wing President Mauricio Macri was thoroughly trounced at the polls. Macri, of the \"Together for Change\" coalition, lost heavily in the presidential race to Alberto Fernández of the \"Front for Everybody\" coalition, which …

C.J. Atkins (2019-10-31). Class struggle in its Prime: Amazon\'s scheme to buy Seattle election. peoplesworld.org Amazon is hoping to pick up some Seattle city council seats next week, sparing no expense in a quest to fill them with new representatives who won\'t have the crazy idea that capitalists ought to pay more in taxes. Dumping an additional million dollars into the coffers of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce\'s political …

Staff (2019-10-31). Carbon Capture Could Save the Planet. truthdig.com If the world is to avoid dangerous overheating, some climate scientists say, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is essential. But compared with other ways of tackling global heating, it is a method that is developing slowly. | Norway, though, one of the world\'s biggest oil producers, has been successfully using carbon capture since 1996. Now, Norwegian scientists say, the rest of the world must learn to do so as quickly as possible, arguing that all large industrial plants could and should capture and store the carbon dioxide they…

Emilie Prattico (2019-10-31). Chile Bailed on the UN Climate Talks. Here\'s Why It Matters. thenation.com Chile\'s failure to fulfill its commitment is yet another sign that our future is in the hands of people we cannot trust.

Keith McHenry (2019-10-31). Desieire Quintero Killed – Help her Son. indybay.org Desieire Quintero was fatally crushed by a falling tree at her campsite in the Pogonip Park in Santa Cruz. She was the lead plaintiff in a historic civil rights lawsuit filed against the city of Santa Cruz.

Staff (2019-10-31). From California to El Salvador, Climate-Driven Displacement Is on the Rise. truthout.org As part of the push for a Green New Deal, Democrats in both chambers of Congress have introduced legislation to support international refugees displaced by environmental disasters and climate disruption, and are continuing to challenge the Trump administration\'s immigration crackdown and ongoing quest to unravel what little progress the government has made on climate. | The bills would create a \"global resilience…

Hatewatch Staff (2019-10-31). Trump Official Who Once Led Hate Group Resigns Ombudsman Role. splcenter.org Julie Kirchner, a nativist hard-liner with ties to an anti-immigrant hate group, has resigned as ombudsman at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

C√©sar Chelala (2019-10-31). An Open Letter to Donald Trump: You Are Putting the World at Grave Risk. commondreams.org What is rarely considered is that most of those immigrants and their children come from countries where the U.S. has supported their most murderous regimes and actively destroyed their democratic forms of government. (Photo: Syrian refugees/ Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/refugees_10.jpeg …

Philip Giraldi (2019-10-31). Killing Julian Assange: Justice Denied When Exposing Official Wrongdoing. globalresearch.ca The hideous treatment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange continues and many observers are citing his case as being symptomatic of developing \"police state\" tendencies in both the United States and in Europe, where rule of law is being subordinated to …

Prof. Marjorie Cohn (2019-10-31). Convicted Anti-Nuclear Activists Speak Out: \"Pentagon Has Brainwashed People\" globalresearch.ca The seven Catholic peace activists who were convicted on October 24 for their symbolic protest against nuclear weapons at the Kings Bay Naval Base are now facing a two-to-three-month wait to hear their prison sentences. They could face more than …

Robert C. Koehler (2019-10-31). Keeping the Peace Is Far More Complicated Than Waging War. commondreams.org Compassion, policing—these words don\'t go together! (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/police_2.jpeg …

teleSUR (2019-10-31). Colombia: Indigenous Peoples Call For New National Mobilization. telesurenglish.net The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) called on citizens to join the national mobilization that will take place on November 8 in defense of the 2016 Peace Agreement. | RELATED: | Colombian Indigenous Group Laments Murder of 5 Leaders | \"We call on all Colombian society to stand up in defense of life, rights and territories,\" ONIC senior ad…

UUSF Morning Forum (2019-10-31). Impeachment, mass protest & the urgency to end the Trump Pence regime. indybay.org Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco | 1187 Franklin St. at corner of Geary | San Francisco…

teleSUR (2019-10-31). Iraqi PM Will Only Resign if Replacement Found: President. telesurenglish.net Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi is ready to resign only if parliament\'s main blocs can agree on his replacement, President Barham Salih said Thursday, as tens of thousands gathered in Baghdad to demand an end to the current system of government. | Abdul Mahdi, who despite promising reforms and a broad reshuffle of his cabinet has struggled to address protesters\' demands. He has refused calls for an early election made by his erstwhile main supporter, populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. | \"The prime minister had previously agreed to submit his resignation if the blocs agree on an acceptable replacement in o…

Kade Crockford (2019-10-31). The FBI is Tracking Our Faces in Secret. We\'re Suing. aclu.org Many of us wear masks on Halloween for fun. But what about a world in which we have to wear a mask every single day to protect our privacy from the government\'s oppressive eye? | Face | recognition surveillance technology has already made that frightening world a | reality in Hong Kong, and it\'s quickly becoming a scary | possibility in the United States. | The FBI is currently collecting data about our faces, irises, walking patterns, and voices, permitting the government to pervasively identif…

WSWS (2019-10-31). Australian police violently attack climate change protestors. wsws.org The incident marks a further escalation of state repression in Australia against protest and dissent.

Pepe Escobar (2019-10-31). South America, Again, Leads Fight Against Neoliberalism. globalresearch.ca The presidential election in Argentina pitted the people against neoliberalism and the people won. What happens next will have a tremendous impact all over Latin America and serve as a blueprint for assorted Global South struggles. | *** | The presidential election …

Stephen Lendman (2019-10-31). Russia\'s Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline Nears Completion. globalresearch.ca Russia has the world\'s largest natural gas reserves. Iran ranks second. Both nations have far larger reserves than the US, Saudi Arabia and other countries. | When completed, Russia\'s Nord Stream 2 will be the world\'s longest underwater pipeline, able to …

Stephen Lendman (2019-10-31). US Equities Soar While Real Economy Plummets. Deep Recession Ahead? globalresearch.ca On Wednesday, the S&P 500 closed at a record high, the Dow and Nasdaq just shy of record territory. | Yet according to economist John Williams, noted for reengineering official data to how it was accurately calculated decades earlier, the …

Eugene E Ruyle (2019-10-31). Turkey, Syria, and the Kurds. indybay.org NPML – Marxist Library | 6501 Telegraph Ave, Oakland (just North of Alcatraz Ave.)…

United Nations (2019-10-31). Syria\'s groundbreaking constitutional talks: \'a clear success of mediation\' says Guterres in Turkey. un.org Mediation is \"one of our most important tools to reduce and end conflict\", United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told the sixth Istanbul Mediation Conference, in the Turkish capital on Thursday.

UUSF Morning Forum (2019-10-31). Trump, Turkey and the Kurds – signs of a crumbling U.S. empire. indybay.org Unitarian Universalist Society of S.F. | 1187 Franklin St. corner of Geary Ave. | San Francisco…

commondreams (2019-10-31). Impeachment Inquiry Vote Will Determine Legacies of U.S. Representatives. commondreams.org ______________________________…

Staff (2019-10-31). House Democrats Approve Trump Impeachment Inquiry Resolution. truthout.org The Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted to approve a resolution put forth by Democrats that will dictate the rules and processes of the official impeachment inquiry aimed at President Donald Trump. | The final vote of 232 to 196 was along strict party lines, with just two Democrats voting against the resolution, no Republicans voting in…

commondreams (2019-10-31). \'Nobody Is Above the Law\' Mobilizations Build Mass Momentum As Impeachment Inquiry Vote Hits Capitol Hill. commondreams.org ______________________________…

John Nichols (2019-10-31). Impeachment Just Got Real. thenation.com Impeachment Just Got Real…

Randi Nord (2019-10-31). Yemen Runs Out of Fuel and Last Hospitals Close. globalresearch.ca While the mainstream media focuses on condemning President Trump for pulling US troops out of Syria, Yemen faces a national health crisis. The last functioning hospitals across multiple major cities in Yemen will shut their doors and stop providing services …

Hang Erdo (2019-10-31). Urgent: Stand up for Rojava in the Face of Turkish Aggression. indybay.org Fighting and airstrikes continue during the ceasefire. Brutal Turkish artillery, jihadis employed by Ankara, and airstrikes have created 200,000 internally displaced persons and threaten the very existence of the emancipatory self-government in Rojava and the Kurds themselves. Today they are using tanks to push toward one of the last major cities, Tel Tamir, to push the people into the desert. Please stand up in solidarity!

Nicky Reid (2019-10-31). Scary Movies for Anarchists to Watch in the Dark. counterpunch.org The horror film is hands down the most woefully underrated genre in cinema. Art at its very finest provokes and there is no subject more provocative than death. Death is the only existential constant in the human experience. Like it or not, we are all born to die. So it only follows that human beings More

Scott Silver (2019-10-31). California Burns…It Always Has. counterpunch.org As California burns, the press is offering all number of explanations for why this is so; naming everything from drought and climate change, to lack of sufficient acres of prescribed burns and forest thinning, to the failure of PG&E to properly maintain the electrical grid. The \'problems\', or so the press would have the public More

Jeff Mackler (2019-10-31). Self-Determination for Syria! U.S. Out Now! counterpunch.org A furious bi-partisan warmongering outburst of opposition met President Trump\'s mid-October announcement that U.S. troops were being withdrawn from Northeastern Syria. Engineered by the Democrats, and joined by the top spokespersons of the twin parties of war, racism and environmental destruction, they denounced Trump and passed an instant congressional resolution demanding that the estimated 1,000 More

Binoy Kampmark (2019-10-31). A Touch of Plagiarism: the Nazari Precedent. counterpunch.org The academy is filled with wonder. There are professors who cannot teach. There are associate professors who cannot write. There are tenured academics who have been promoted on the basis of being able to be the fourth author on all their papers, able to put and patch together an abstract and jot down a signature. More

Allegra Harpootlian (2019-10-31). What It Means to Experience America\'s Wars From a Computer Screen Away. counterpunch.org Think back to the last time you cried at work. Did the tears come after your boss sent you a curt email? Or when you accidentally cc\'d (instead of bcc\'d) everyone? Maybe you just had a really, really long day and that one last little misstep pushed you over the edge. In my case, I More

Eleanor Eagan (2019-10-31). Trump\'s Hidden Attention to Detail…in Avoiding Accountability. counterpunch.org With each passing day, President Trump\'s criminal syndicate looks weaker. Until recently, hoping for defections on the scale we\'re seeing now might have seemed like a pipe dream, but it turns out that several of Trump\'s former associates do have limits on what they will tolerate (even if it is sometimes puzzling where exactly they More

teleSUR (2019-10-31). ISIS Announces Al-Baghdadi\'s Death and New Leader. telesurenglish.net The Islamic State militant group confirmed on Thursday that its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a weekend raid by U.S. forces in northwestern Syria and it vowed revenge against the United States. | RELATED: | Trump Says Islamic State Leader Baghdadi Dead in US Forces Raid | Baghdadi, an Iraqi jihadist who rose from obscurity to declare himself \"caliph\" of all Muslims as the leader of Islamic State, died during the swoop by U.S. special forces, President Donald Trump…