Sarah Shenker (2019-11-08). My Friend Was Murdered for Trying to Save the Amazon. counterpunch.org One result of Jair Bolsonaro\'s presidency is that there are more eyes on the forest: of those wanting to steal it, but also of those wanting to protect it. It\'s buzzing with all the attention, and the fatal fires now ravaging vast areas are now drawing many more. All these eyes on the Amazon are provoking fights, grabbing headlines and building resistance. All of us can be allies in this resistance, but we will never truly know what people like the Guardians of the Amazon face on a daily basis. More

Patrick Howlett-Martin (2019-11-08). Repatriate the Children of the Jihad. counterpunch.org \"Listen! If all must suffer to pay for the eternal harmony, what have children to do with it, tell me, please? … And if it is really true that they must share responsibility for all their fathers\' crimes, such a truth is not of this world and is beyond my comprehension. Some jester will say, More

Jeffery R. Webber (2019-11-08). Rebellion, reformism, and reaction in Latin America: An interview with Jeffery R. Webber. mronline.org From Chile to Ecuador, a wave of revolts against neoliberal austerity has swept through Latin America. Elections have brought the Peronists back to office in Argentina, and political crisis to Bolivia under Evo Morales. Brazil remains under the shadow of Jair Bolsonaro, but how enduring is his far-right politics, and what lessons does it signal […] | Source

Staff (2019-11-08). \'Massacre\' of Indigenous Leaders in Colombia Is Result of Broken Peace Agreement. therealnews.com Yet another massacre of indigenous leaders in Colombia has sparked outrage across the country, as the right-wing government of President Ivan Duque faces increasing challenges to his already weakened leadership.

Medea Benjamin, Nicolas J. S. Davies (2019-11-08). Neoliberalism\'s Children Rise Up to Demand Justice in Chile and the World. counterpunch.org Uprisings against the corrupt, generation-long dominance of neoliberal \"center-right\" and \"center-left\" governments that benefit the wealthy and multinational corporations at the expense of working people are sweeping country after country all over the world. In this Autumn of Discontent, people from Chile, Haiti and Honduras to Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon are rising up against neoliberalism, More

Andrew Levine (2019-11-08). What Rises to the Level of Impeachability? counterpunch.org What is impeachable is whatever the House and Senate say is impeachable. According to any remotely plausible reading of a Constitution that all sides claim to regard as the supreme authority on the matter, there is no principled way to gainsay their judgment; they are, for all practical purposes, more infallible than the Pope. More

Matthew Hoh (2019-11-08). And the Armies That Remained Suffer\'d: Veterans, Moral Injury and Suicide. counterpunch.org The mental, emotional and spiritual injuries that come with surviving war are not unique to the United States or the modern age. Disparate historical sources, such as Roman and Native American accounts, tell of the psychological and psychiatric wounds of war, and what was done for returning soldiers, while in both Homer and Shakespeare we find clear references to the lasting invisible wounds of war. More

Ramzy Baroud (2019-11-08). Microsoft Should Not Fund Israeli Spying on Palestinians. counterpunch.org The act of Palestinian activists covering their faces during anti-Israeli occupation rallies is an old practice that spans decades. The masking of the face, often by Kufyias — traditional Palestinian scarves that grew to symbolize Palestinian resistance — is far from being a fashion statement. Instead, it is a survival technique, without it, activists are More

John McMurtry (2019-11-08). From Canada\'s Election to Public Action: Beyond the Moral Tumor of Alberta Tar-Sands. counterpunch.org For months during and after Canada\'s 2019 federal election campaign, corporate media provided daily frontline news space for non-stop Alberta demands for more tar-sands export infrastructure through British Columbia, as well as discrediting stories on the Trudeau government for questionable legal protection of a Quebec big business to his playing blackface in a youthful costume. More

Paul Street (2019-11-08). The Real Constitutional Crisis: The Constitution. counterpunch.org It has been amusing to hear liberal commentators say over and over that the malignant racist rogue president Donald \"I am the World\'s Greatest Person\" Trump is precisely the sort of terrible tyrant the United States Founding Fathers had in mind when they devised their \"genius\" Constitutional system of \"checks and balances.\" The Tiny-fingered, Tangerine-Tinted, More

Norman Solomon (2019-11-08). The Crass Warfare of Billionaires Against Sanders and Warren. counterpunch.org For many decades, any politician daring to fight for economic justice was liable to be denounced for engaging in \"class warfare.\" It was always a grimly laughable accusation, coming from wealthy elites as well as their functionaries in corporate media and elective office. In the real world, class warfare — or whatever you want to More

Ben Terrall (2019-11-08). Nelson Algren and the Pathologies of Life in the USA. counterpunch.org Colin Asher\'s Never a Lovely So Real: The Life and Work of Nelson Algren is both a top-notch work of research and an elegantly written profile of a great writer who is too little remembered today. Unlike too many contemporary biographies, which tend to be either research dumps badly in need of editing or axe-grinding More

Kirkpatrick Sale (2019-11-08). 2020: The Incipient Bet. counterpunch.org In the fall of 1992, after I finished my second round of speeches for the Quincentennial of America\'s \"discovery,\" drawing on my book about Columbus that had been published in 1990, I started on a book on a subject that had long fascinated me and I knew was just as timely as the Columbus book More

Louis Proyect (2019-11-08). A Socialist Party in Our Time? counterpunch.org Nearly two years ago, Eric Blanc wrote an article for Jacobin that justified socialists running on the Democratic Party primary ballot as a \"dirty break\" from the two-party system. Eugene V. Debs\'s Socialist Party, to which Jacobin pays lip-service, instead supported a \"clean break\", as did the Communist Party until Stalin ordered it to back More

Rob Urie (2019-11-08). Left is the New Right, or Why Marx Matters. counterpunch.org The American obsession with electoral politics is odd in that \'the people\' have so little say in electoral outcomes and that the outcomes only dance around the edges of most people\'s lives. It isn\'t so much that the actions of elected leaders are inconsequential as that other factors— economic, historical, structural and institutional, do more to determine \'politics.\' To use an agrarian metaphor, it\'s as if the miller was put forward as determining the harvest. More

Robert Hunziker (2019-11-08). Ignoring Climate Catastrophes. counterpunch.org The planet is coming apart at the seams right before the eyes of scientists at work in remote fringe areas of the North where permafrost crumbles and collapses. It\'s abrupt climate change at work in real time, but the governing leaders of the world either don\'t care or don\'t know. If they did, there would More

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2019-11-08). Growing Ecological Civilization in China. counterpunch.org The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences invited me to an international ecological conference in Jinan, Shandong Province. The Academy gave the conference a provocative and insightful title: a Paradigm Shift: Towards Ecological Civilization: China and the World. I listened to several Chinese and non-Chinese experts talk about a variety of issues (political, economic and ecological) More

Staff (2019-11-08). 30 Years After Berlin Wall Fell, Germany\'s Divide Persists. therealnews.com Despite billions of euros in subsidies and an overhaul of infrastructure in the east, economic differences between eastern and western Germany persist. And top jobs in the east are still filled by people from the west 30 years on.

Alicia Jrapko (2019-11-08). Hundreds Stand Tall in Solidarity with the People of Latin America at Havana Conference. dissidentvoice.org Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Moros, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (Photo by Bill Hackwell) From November 1-3 more than 1,350 delegates from 86 countries representing 789 organizations, came to Havana to participate in the Anti-imperialist Conference of Solidarity, for Democracy and Against Neoliberalism. Delegates traveled from all continents, particularly from Latin …

RT (2019-11-08). \'Nazi turtles\' with painted-on swastikas evade capture in Washington state park (PHOTOS). rt.com Police in Washington state are struggling to apprehend a pair of turtles spotted with swastikas painted on their shells in a bizarre act of vandalism. Despite their slow-moving reputation, the fugitive reptiles remain at large. | Startled visitors at Gene Coulon Park in the town of Renton notified police of the swastika-sporting reptiles earlier this week, but the Renton Police Department says it has been unable to catch the critters and wipe off the offensive symbols. | \"Renton Police were made aware that two of our Gene Coulon turtles had some markings painted on their shells,\" the department said in a Faceb…

Staff (2019-11-08). Private Equity Firms are Modern Day Vampires Sucking the Lifeblood Out of Our Society. therealnews.com Deadspin is the latest victim of private equity. Labor writer and activist Kim Kelly warns us that these 21st century \"private equity vampires\" have to be controlled.

Staff (2019-11-08). US Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement Will Cause \'Real Harm\'. therealnews.com Climate crisis scientist Michael Mann talks about how the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement will have an enormous impact on climate change, even though he says the agreement was quite bad to begin with…

Eds. (2019-11-08). How Gen-Z is dealing with a looming climate apocalypse. mronline.org Growing up in the midst of a climate crisis is pretty overwhelming. | Source

Judy Greenspan (2019-11-08). Oakland teachers and parents condemn police brutality. workers.org Oct. 28 — At a vigil called by the Oakland Education Association, parents, teachers and community members denounced police brutality against demonstrators protesting school closures and consolidations. During a loud but peaceful protest Oct. 23 at an Oakland School Board meeting, Oakland city police and some of the school district\'s . . . | Continue reading Oakland teachers and parents condemn police brutality at Workers.org

Morning Star (2019-11-08). Lula freed after surprise Brazilian Supreme Court ruling. peoplesworld.org UPDATE: This story was first published just hours before former Brazilian President Lula was freed from prison. It has been updated to reflect this breaking news. Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was released from prison today after a key Supreme Court ruling. The court ruled by six judges to five on Thursday …

WSWS (2019-11-08). Bernie Sanders unveils immigration plan. wsws.org The Democratic presidential candidate rhetorically attacks theworst of Trump\'s immigration policies but would keep the border regimeintact.

John Washington (2019-11-08). Bernie\'s Immigration Plan Is Good. thenation.com Bernie\'s Immigration Plan Is Good…

Derek Royden (2019-11-08). Payback? The arrest of Max Blumenthal. nationofchange.org The way Blumenthal\'s arrest was handled should send a chill down our collective spines because it shows a widening war on left-wing journalists and whistle-blowers that is remarkably resilient to changes in government.

Norman Solomon (2019-11-08). The Crass Warfare of Billionaires Against Sanders and Warren. indybay.org An existential crisis for ruling circles…

Norman Solomon (2019-11-08). The crass warfare of billionaires against Sanders and Warren. nationofchange.org The fight happening now for the Democratic presidential nomination largely amounts to class warfare.

John W. Whitehead (2019-11-08). A New Kind of Tyranny: The Global State\'s War on Those Who Speak Truth to Power. dissidentvoice.org What happens to Julian Assange and to Chelsea Manning is meant to intimidate us, to frighten us into silence. By defending Julian Assange, we defend our most sacred rights. Speak up now or wake up one morning to the silence of a new kind of tyranny. The choice is ours. — John Pilger, investigative journalist …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2019-11-08). The Globalization of Poverty: What Is Neoliberalism? globalresearch.ca In these unprecedented economic times, the world is experiencing as a whole what most of the so-called \"developing\" countries have experienced over the past several decades. For a nuanced examination of the intricacies of the global political-economic landscape and the …

Ben Norton (2019-11-08). US and Israel were lone votes against UN resolutions opposing space arms race, nuclear Middle East, Cuba embargo. thegrayzone.com The United States and Israel were the only countries that voted against UN General Assembly draft resolutions calling for a…

Janice Kortkamp (2019-11-08). Syria: Where Have All the \"Professional\" Journalists Gone? globalresearch.ca I\'m in Homs on my sixth visit to this vibrant city since May 2016 as an independent, self-funded activist and social media amateur journalist. | Since peace and stability have been restored and life is returning, the \"professional news media\" is …

teleSUR (2019-11-08). UN-Sponsored Syrian Peace Talks to Reconvene on November 25. telesurenglish.net A U.N. envoy concluded an opening round of talks on the political future of Syria on Friday meant to bring political reconciliation after 8-1/2 years of war, saying they went better than expected and would reconvene later this month. | RELATED: | Erdogan Says US is Not Fulfilling Agreement to Withdraw Kurds | Acknowledging that discussions were sometimes \"very painful\" Geir Pedersen said the delegates to the Constitutional Committee from the government, opposition and civil soci…

UNACpeace (2019-11-08). Syria: \"U.S. Get Out!\" globalresearch.ca The United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) stands in solidarity with the long-suffering people of Syria. We oppose all foreign occupation of Syrian territory. Syria belongs to the Syrians. | The current Turkish incursion into northern Syria is in violation of Syrian …

Peter Koenig (2019-11-08). China\'s Vision for the Future: \"Give Peace a Chance\" globalresearch.ca China\'s vision for the future is \"Give Peace a Chance\". It is also the title of one of John Lennon\'s most prominent songs. It became the anthem for the anti-war movement, at the time of the US-waged war against Vietnam. …

WSWS (2019-11-08). Beijing looks to end Hong Kong protest movement. wsws.org Youth and students fighting to defend democratic rights in Hong Kong must turn to the international working class as their only allies in this struggle.

Ralph Nader (2019-11-08). America\'s Streets and Squares Are Waiting: Massive Rallies Work! counterpunch.org Around the world people are marching, rallying, and demonstrating in huge numbers. Some of these countries are ruled by dictators or plutocratic regimes, others are considered democracies. Despite the peril of protest, people are seeking justice, freedom, and decent livelihoods. Many boast about the United States being the oldest democracy in the world. While there More

teleSUR (2019-11-08). Deadly Clashes Reignite in Iraq Despite Cleric\'s Call for Calm. telesurenglish.net Fresh clashes between Iraqi security forces and anti-government protesters broke out on Friday killing at least three people, despite a call for calm by the country\'s top Shi\'ite cleric, as authorities grapple with the nation\'s biggest crisis in years. | RELATED: | Over 100,000 Algerians Protest on Independence War\'s Anniversary | Security forces fired tear gas and threw stun grenades into crowds of demonstrators wearing helmets and makeshift body armor on a main road in central Baghdad,…

Stephen Lendman (2019-11-08). Israel\'s Supreme Court — Upholding \"Targeted Assassinations\" and Torture. globalresearch.ca Time and again, Israel\'s high court upholds human and civil rights abuses committed by the state. | In 2006, the court upheld its targeted assassinations policy, claiming they\'re OK when no other choices exist to protect against dangers to national security …

Stephen Lendman (2019-11-08). China and US Agree on Phased Tariffs Rollback? globalresearch.ca According to US and Chinese media, negotiators of both countries agreed to partially roll back tariffs. | Spokesman for China\'s Commerce Ministry Gao Feng said the following: | \"If the phase-one deal is signed, China and the US should remove the same …

Binoy Kampmark (2019-11-08). Corporate Mammon: Amazon and the Seattle Council Elections. dissidentvoice.org An enduring US political tradition was in evidence in Seattle recently. Amazon had decided that the city council elections would be too important to leave alone. Seattle was their city after all. The aim of the company was much in keeping with the manor lord who prosecutes keen poachers: fund pro-business candidates sympathetic to its …

Dan Bacher (2019-11-08). Illegal Loggers Murder Indigenous Forest Guardian in Brazilian Amazon. counterpunch.org Maranhà£o state, Brazil On the morning of November 1, a group of illegal loggers in the Araribóia indigenous territory ambushed members of the Guajajara people\'s Forest Guardians, a volunteer land and environmental monitoring force, leaving one Guardian dead and another gravely wounded. The loggers killed forest defender Paulo Paulino Guajajara in a shot to the face, while they More

Staff (2019-11-08). Mike Pence\'s Office Meddled in Foreign Aid to Reroute Money to Christian Groups. truthout.org Last November, a top Trump appointee at the U.S. Agency for International Development wrote a candid email to colleagues about pressure from the White House to reroute Middle East aid to religious minorities, particularly Christian groups. | \"Sometimes this decision will be made for us by the White House (see… Iraq! And, increasingly, Syria),\" said Hallam Ferguson, a senior official in USAID\'s Middle East bureau, in an email seen by ProPublica. \"We need to stay ahead of this curve everywh…

United Nations (2019-11-08). Hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk in Syria amid ongoing violence in northeast and northwest. un.org Almost daily violence targeting built-up areas and health facilities in Syria continues to threaten the lives of civilians there, UN rights experts and humanitarians said on Friday.

WSWS (2019-11-08). US seizure of oil fields escalates tensions in Syria. wsws.org Russia has issued a warning that it will not cooperate with US forces in the region, raising the threat of a military clash.

Lev Golinkin (2019-11-08). 30 Years Ago Eastern Europeans Tore Down Walls. Now They Write Pop Songs to Putin. thenation.com 30 Years Ago Eastern Europeans Tore Down Walls. Now They Write Pop Songs to Putin.

United Nations (2019-11-08). Top UN court will consider Ukraine allegations against Russia of treaty violations. un.org The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has agreed to hear claims by Ukraine related to the conflict in the east of the country, where Government forces have been fighting mostly pro-Russian separatists, for more than five years.

Paul Antonopoulos (2019-11-08). New Chapter in Greek-Russian Relations? globalresearch.ca The Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on November 6 amidst a string of events that have complicated relations between the two countries. Following official visits to Cyprus, Israel and the United …