RT (2020-01-30). US sanctions head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization — Treasury. rt.com The Treasury Department has announced sanctions on the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and its head Ali Akbar Salehi as the US continues its pressure campaign on Tehran after ditching the international Iran nuclear deal. | Though the Trump administration has accused Salehi and his organization of striving to produce a nuclear weapon, the AEOI also oversees the civilian nuclear sector in Iran. | The sanctions are the latest in a string of economic penalties applied to Iran since the US unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, or Iran nuclear deal) in 2018, after accusi…

Evaggelos Vallianatos (2020-01-30). Livestock Ranchers, Miners, Loggers and Oilmen—Welfare Queens All—Have Been Raping and Plundering the American West. counterpunch.org Empire of public land Christopher Ketcham, a daring young journalist from New York, spent ten years observing and studying the public lands of the intercontinental American West. This is an empire of about 450 million acres of grassland, desert, steppe, and forest in Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming. Ketcham travelled to the American West

RT (2020-01-30). Iran says US decision to sanction nuclear chief is 'childish' and shows \'despair,\' won\'t slow program down. rt.com The US decision to sanction Iran\'s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi as part of its maximum pressure campaign against Tehran shows Washington\'s \"despair\" and won\'t slow down the country\'s civilian nuclear program, state media said. | The sanctions are a \"sign of America\'s despair\" and \"a political game played by Washington,\" Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran\'s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) told the Fars news agency. | \"These sanctions have no value and are childish measures,\" he said, adding that they will have \"no impact\" on the country\'s civilian nuclear work which \"will continue with full force based…

RT (2020-01-30). US House votes to block funding for military action against Iran. rt.com The House of Representatives has voted to restrict President Donald Trump\'s ability to launch military strikes on Iran, and will debate a measure to repeal a 2002 act that gives the US broad warmaking powers in Iraq. | The first bill, which would block Trump from using federal funds to for \"unauthorized military force against Iran\" passed by a largely party-line vote of 228-175. It comes two weeks after the House

Nicolas J. S. Davies (2020-01-30). The U.S. is recycling its big lie about Iraq to target Iran. mronline.org The U.S.\'s campaign against Iran has violated the most critical lessons that U.S. and UN officials claimed to have learned from the debacle in Iraq. |

RT (2020-01-30). Bush-era Iraq war authorization voted out by US House. rt.com The House of Representatives has voted along party lines to repeal a 2002 law authorizing the US to wage war on Iraq. The law was used by the Trump administration to justify the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. | The House voted 236 to 166 to kill the 2002 Authorization for Military Force (AUMF) on Iraq. The law was drafted during the presidency of George W. Bush to authorize the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and has been used by subsequent administrations to continue military activity in the country — most recently to justify the US drone assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad…

M.K. Bhadrakumar (2020-01-30). Why the U.S. might be angling for the return of a new \'strongman\' like Saddam in Iraq. mronline.org The departure of the former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani is beginning to be felt in Iraq. |

Mark Gruenberg (2020-01-30). Trump\'s \'peace plan\' for Israel and the Palestinians is neither. peoplesworld.org GOP President Donald Trump\'s \"peace plan\" for Israel and the Palestinians, unveiled with support from the leaders of both big Jewish Israeli political parties, is \"imperialistic\" and would lead to resumed and continued military occupation of the entire West Bank for the foreseeable future, the Israeli Communist Party says. And since Trump unveiled his plan …

RT (2020-01-30). Kushner \'hopes Israel waits\' on annexation steps in West Bank after Trump\'s Mideast plan announcement. rt.com White House senior adviser Jared Kushner says Washington wants Israel to wait until after its March 2 election before making any moves toward settlement annexation in the West Bank following the announcement of a US plan for the Middle East. | Kushner is an architect of the peace proposal hailed by Israel and rejected by the Palestinians. \"Let\'s see what happens,\" President Donald Trump\'s son-in-law said when asked about the possibility that Israel would begin an annexation process as early as this weekend. \"The hope is that they\'ll wait until after the election and we\'ll work with them to try to come up with…

Jonathan Cook (2020-01-30). Trump\'s Deal of the Century Won\'t Bring Peace…That Was the Plan. counterpunch.org Much of Donald Trump\'s long-trailed \"deal of the century\" came as no surprise. Over the past 18 months, Israeli officials had leaked many of its details. The so-called \"Vision for Peace\" unveiled on Tuesday simply confirmed that the US government has publicly adopted the long-running consensus in Israel: that it is entitled to keep permanently the swaths of territory it seized illegally over the past half-century that deny the Palestinians any hope of a state.

Steve Sweeney (2020-01-30). General strike in Gaza, protests rage against Trump\'s \'deal of the century\'. peoplesworld.org Palestinians waged a general strike in the besieged Gaza Strip Jan. 29 as protests continued to rage against the \"dismal\" Middle East peace plan announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday. His so-called \"deal of the century\" has been met by global condemnation with international governments and progressives branding it as \"shameful\" and unworkable. …

RT (2020-01-30). What\'s behind Israeli PM\'s unscheduled stopover in Moscow. rt.com Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Russia after unveiling a peace proposal alongside US President Donald Trump in Washington. The \'deal of the century\' was met with skepticism and outrage around the world. | The caretaker prime minister was in Washington, DC on Tuesday alongside his chief rival, retired General Benny Gantz, as Trump unveiled his controversial \"Vision\" that included a two-state solution, Israeli control of Jerusalem and no right of return for Palestinians. | Netanyahu\'s office said he would return from Washington to Tel Aviv via Moscow, something that was previously not included…

John Wojcik (2020-01-30). Fix is in, Trump team makes radical shift in his defense. peoplesworld.org Ditching months of claims by President Trump that his dealings with Ukraine were \"perfect,\" Trump\'s TV lawyers and GOP lawmakers are now asserting that a quid-pro-quo of aid for political favors — even if proven beyond a shadow of a doubt — is not grounds for impeachment. They have taken the logic offered them Monday …

Staff (2020-01-30). Ex-Solicitor General: Alan Dershowitz Is Wrong. Trump Is Not Above the Law & Should Be Impeached. democracynow.org President Trump\'s legal team offered an extraordinary new defense during Trump\'s impeachment trial on Wednesday. Attorney Alan Dershowitz said that a sitting president could take any action to boost his re-election chances if he felt his re-election was in the public interest. \"If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment,\" Dershowitz said. Trump was impeached by the House last month for freezing military aid to Ukraine in an effort to pressure Ukraine to open an investigation of Trump\'s politi…

RT (2020-01-30). Why was Rand banned? Sen. Paul reveals his CENSORED question at Trump impeachment trial. rt.com As Senators gathered for the last day of questioning in President Trump\'s impeachment trial, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul found his question censored in a way that may have revealed the identity of the mysterious whistleblower. | With the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump nearing its final stages, senators gathered on Capitol Hill on Thursday to question the Democratic prosecution team, and Trump\'s defense attorneys. However, Paul (R-Kentucky) found his question shot down by presiding Chief Justice John Roberts, who declined \"to read the question as submitted.\" | Paul left the chamber after Roberts\' de…

RT (2020-01-30). India\'s Sharia law board says women may pray in mosques as petition asks top court to declare entry ban \'unconstitutional\'. rt.com India\'s Muslim law board has advised the Supreme Court that nothing in the tenets of Islam bars women from praying in mosques. The non-profit noted that the court should not have a say in the religious issue, however. | The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) responded to a request by India\'s Supreme Court to comment on the petition filed by a Muslim couple. Yasmin Zuber Ahmad Peerzade and her husband Zuber Ahmad Nazir Ahmad Peerzade have asked the court to formally renounce any restrictions that women face as they attempt to enter a mosque, calling the practice \"not only repugnant to the basic dignit…

RT (2020-01-30). Will dad splash the cash for the wedding?! Bill Gates' daughter gets engaged to Egyptian showjumping star. rt.com The daughter of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Jennifer, has got engaged to Egyptian equestrian star Nayel Nassar, who made a surprise proposal during the couple\'s skiing vacation. | The eldest daughter of billionaire businessman Gates and his wife Melinda, revealed she will soon tie the knot with her fiancé by posting a picture on Instagram showing her emotional reaction to the offer of marriage. |

RT (2020-01-30). Athens & Ankara issue scathing condemnations after neo-Nazi Greek MEP tears up Turkish flag. rt.com A Greek neo-Nazi lawmaker who tore up a Turkish flag during a debate in the European Parliament has faced condemnation from both Athens and Ankara, in a rare show of solidarity between the two bitter rivals. | While Greece and Turkey squabble over maritime and security agreements with Libya, the decades-old rivals were able to find common ground in their mutual disapproval of independent MEP Yannis Lagos. The far-right firebrand, who leads an offshoot of the infamous neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn, tore up a paper Turkish flag and blamed Ankara for Europe\'s migrant crisis while addressing the European Parliament o…

RT (2020-01-30). UN halts refugee center operations in Tripoli, Libya over safety fears. rt.com The United Nations said on Thursday it was suspending its operations at a refugee reception center in Tripoli over safety fears as the conflict in the country worsens. The UNHCR\'s Chief of Mission in Libya, Jean-Paul Cavalieri said the decision had been taken after the organization learned that military and police training exercises were taking place just outside the facility, AFP reported. | \"We fear that the entire area could become a military target, further endangering the lives of refugees, asylum seekers and other civilians,\" he said. The UN-recognized government in Tripoli has been under attack since Ap…

Global Research (2020-01-30). Two Books for One Price: Special Offers from Global Research Publishers. globalresearch.ca Global Research Publishers bring you a number of special offers on two-book combined purchases. Click on a link below for more info or to order the combined book offer of your choice: | . | . | | | …

RT (2020-01-30). Pompeo names \'the central threat of our times\' and guess what it is… It\'s the Chinese Communist Party. rt.com US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has labeled the Chinese Communist Party \"the central threat of our times,\" two weeks after President Donald Trump signed the \"biggest deal there is\" with Beijing. | Speaking at a conference with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in London on Thursday, Pompeo stated that \"while we still have to be enormously vigilant about terror… challenges all across the world… the Chinese Communist Party presents the central threat of our times.\" The State Secretary then outlined the multiple avenues the US is taking to counter China\'s growing influence – right after he admitted that the…

RT (2020-01-30). Chinese coronavirus will bring jobs back to America, US commerce secretary says. rt.com President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to bring jobs back to the United States. According to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, the outbreak of the deadly Wuhan coronavirus might help him fulfil that pledge. | Since it first infected customers at an animal market in the city of Wuhan in December, the SARS-like coronavirus has killed at least 170 people, infected nearly 8,000 people, and spread to every region in China and 19 other countries. | But to US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, there\'s an upside. | Speaking on Fox Business on Thursday, Ross said that while he doesn\'t want to take \"a victory lap ove…

RT (2020-01-30). US authorizes embassy evacuations in China, as coronavirus death toll ticks up. rt.com The US State Department has authorized the departure of non-emergency staff at its embassy in Beijing and consulates in Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Shenyang, a spokesman told Reuters on Thursday. The decision was made as the SARS-like coronavirus spread to every region of China, killing at least 170 people and infecting over 8,000. The virus has been confirmed in nearly 20 countries, and the World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a global health emergency. The State Department\'s departure order comes a week after American diplomatic staff were evacuated by plane from Wuhan, a city of 11 mill…

RT (2020-01-30). China\'s digital yuan will displace US dollar\'s hegemony & bitcoin will join race, investor tells RT\'s Keiser Report. rt.com US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin recently rejected suggestions that the Trump administration is weaponizing the dollar through its trade-restricting policies with other countries. | Max Keiser is joined by American investor and the CIO of Morgan Creek Capital Mark Yusko to discuss media reports that weaponizing the greenback could kill its status as the world reserve currency. They also examine alternatives to the US dollar. | \"We\'ve been on this path for decades; we\'ve always weaponised the dollar and the United States,\" says Yusko. | Weaponizing currency can only be done by the world reserve currency whi…

RT (2020-01-30). Deadliest day for China: Coronavirus claims record number of victims in 24 hours as more countries confirm infections. rt.com China has suffered its deadliest day since the coronavirus outbreak began, with 38 related deaths recorded. The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to discuss declaring a global health emergency. | Record fatalities: | Thirty-eight new deaths in China were reported over the last 24 hours, marking the deadliest day since the outbreak began in Wuhan. The virus has now spread to every region in China, killing 170 nationwide. | The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in China has jumped to 7,711, while an additional 81,000 people are under observation. | Videos from China show empty streets…

Tom Clifford (2020-01-30). Dispatch From China: Flu is Bigger Concern But Wuhan Virus Grabs Headlines. counterpunch.org Beijing. The virus will infect millions across the globe and lead to the deaths of hundreds of thousands. It can be easily spread and will especially strike the young and the elderly. But this is not what has been described as the Wuhan virus. The common flu is far deadlier. This is not to downplay the

RT (2020-01-30). Russia closes its Far East border with China in attempt to prevent spread of new coronavirus. rt.com Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed an order to close the country\'s border with China in the Far East, Russia\'s largest and most remote region. | It follows instructions from Vladimir Putin on Wednesday for officials to do all they can to prevent the spread of the dangerous new Chinese coronavirus. | Also on rt.com | | In addition, Mishushtin instructed Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova to provide the public with daily updates about the status…

Marc Cooke (2020-01-30). Wolves Play a Beneficial Role in Wildlife Management. counterpunch.org Our group Wolves of the Rockies attended a two-day Montana Environmental Quality Council (EQC) meeting recently in Helena. During that time, three or more hours were devoted to discussion of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Montana and the Rocky Mountain states. Many experts from other states described the harsh realities and challenges posed by this

Susie Day (2020-01-30). Growing Up Panther: An Interview With K\'sisay Sadiki. counterpunch.org K\'Sisay Sadiki has lived her life in two worlds. She\'s attended prestigious dance and film schools, holds down a steady job, pays taxes. And, as the child of Black Panthers, she\'s lived underground, raised by people dedicated to overturning white supremacy. Her father, Kamau, also has a daughter — K\'Sisay\'s sister — by Assata Shakur, who famously escaped from prison in 1979 and now lives in Cuba as a \"dangerous fugitive,\" hunted by the US government. Kamau is in a Georgia prison, serving a life-plus-ten-years sentence for the 1971 fatal shooting of a police officer — a cold case, resurrected in…

RT (2020-01-30). Greece plans to install \'floating fence\' to keep migrants out. rt.com The Greek government wants to install a floating barrier in the Aegean Sea to deter migrants arriving at its islands\' shores through Turkey, officials said on Thursday. | The 2.7km long (1.68 miles) net-like barrier that Greece wants to buy will be set up in the sea off the island of Lesbos, where the overcrowded Moria camp operates, Reuters reports. | It will rise 50cm above sea level and carry light marks that will make it visible at night, according to a government document inviting vendors to submit offers. \"We will see what the result, what its effect as a deterrent will be in practice,\" Defense Minister…

Lucas Koerner (2020-01-30). How Western left media helped legitimate U.S. regime change in Venezuela. mronline.org It\'s been a year since Juan Guaidó began his U.S.-anointed mandate as \"interim president\" of Venezuela. |

RT (2020-01-30). Leaked memo shows US border patrol agents instructed to interrogate travelers with \'Iranian links\' at Canadian border — report. rt.com An apparent US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) memo sent anonymously to a Canadian immigration lawyer purports to show instructions to border officers to interrogate travelers with \'links\' to Iran. | The memo was obtained by Canada\'s CBC News after it was dropped off at the office of lawyer Len Saunders in a blank envelope by an anonymous source on Wednesday. | The missive orders border agents to \"conduct vetting\" on people between the ages of 20 and 58 with links to Iran and Lebanon, whether they were born there or traveled there for other reasons, CBC reported. | It seems to have come into effect in the imme…

RT (2020-01-30). Hollywood has been more heavily censored since 2001, films bashing US army & CIA can\'t go public — Oliver Stone to RT. rt.com The American film industry changed beyond recognition after the milestone year of 2001, director Oliver Stone told RT, with producers using financial restraints to censor movies challenging the US military or the CIA. | \"Maybe in the 1980s, when I did \'Platoon\', \'Born on the Fourth of July\' and \'Heaven & Earth\', I could do that, because it was a slightly more relaxed system,\" said the award-winning filmmaker, mentioning his famed movies while making his case during former Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa\'s show on RT Spanish. | When the Iron Curtain fell and the Cold War ended, things didn\'t change for the b…

RT (2020-01-30). Russian military transports wounded RT correspondent Shabrouney from Hama to Hmeimim airbase. rt.com RT Arabic correspondent Wafa Shabrouney, who was seriously injured while on assignment in northwestern Syria, has been transported by the Russian military from Hama National Hospital to the Hmeimim airbase. | On orders from Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, military doctors working with Russian forces in Syria earlier immediately arrived at the city hospital in Hama, where On Wednesday evening, a Russian transport helicopter with a special medical module for transporting the wounded…

Gregg Shotwell (2020-01-30). Fight for all or lose it all. mronline.org If you want to predict the future, don\'t speculate, study the past. In light of the knowledge gleaned, examine the present. The history of the future is planted, not buried, in the here and now. |

RT (2020-01-30). Pakistan fires back at Modi\'s \'bite dust in 10 days\' remark, says Indian pilot capture proves army is ready to thwart any attack. rt.com Responding to Indian PM Narendra Modi\'s claim that Pakistan would \"bite dust\" in case of war with India, Islamabad urged New Delhi not to underestimate its army, invoking an aerial dogfight that led to an Indian pilot\'s capture. | The war of words between Pakistan and India has escalated, and has recently seen the two nuclear-armed nations trading barbs to highlight the strength of their respective military forces. The latest round in the verbal back-and-forth began on Tuesday, with Modi saying that the Indian Army could take down neighboring Pakistan in a week — 10 days at the most. | Also on rt.com…

RT (2020-01-30). \'It was the first time that a man touched me\': French 10-time skating champ Sarah Abitbol claims she was raped by former coach. rt.com Renowned French pairs skater Sarah Abitbol, who won multiple international awards together with her partner Stephane Bernadis, has claimed she was raped by a former coach. | In an interview with the newspaper L\'Obs, Abitbol, the 2000 world bronze medalist, accused her former coach Gilles Beyer of systematic sexual assault and rape between 1990 and 1992, when she was between the ages of 15 and 17. | \"He started doing horrible things… sexual abuse and I was raped when I was 15. It was the first time that a man touched me,\" the 44-year-old said. | The seven-time European medalist said that neither her parents n…

Mark Gruenberg (2020-01-30). Weingarten: Right wants states to use public dollars for religious schools. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON — The religious right wants the U.S. Supreme Court to force states to use public dollars for religious schools, Teachers President Randi Weingarten warns. In a message to her union\'s 1.6 million members late last month, the AFT leader, a civics and government teacher from New York City, adds the religious rightists are counting …

RT (2020-01-30). Boris Mints: Russia seeks arrest of London-based billionaire fugitive wanted for embezzlement. rt.com Russian investigators have issued an arrest warrant for businessman Boris Mints, accused of multi-million dollar embezzlement. He has now been placed on the international wanted list. | Mints, together with his sons Alexander and Dmitry, is charged with the theft of $473 million (‚ÇΩ30 billion rubles), as reported by the Moscow business daily Vedomosti, citing Alexander\'s lawyer Fedor Kupriyanov. Their extradition is also sought. Dmitry\'s lawyer Elena Kupriyanova says the defendants consider themselves \"not guilty.\" Successful convictions could lead to prison sentences of up to ten years.

RT (2020-01-30). \'Found guilty of quoting Shakespeare by woke snowflakes\': Twitter triggered after TV presenter resigns over \'angry ape\' race row. rt.com A British TV news presenter caught up in an online race row with a black man after quoting Shakespeare at him has apologized and resigned from his role, prompting anger on Twitter from those saying he has nothing to apologize for.

RT (2020-01-30). Russia's Ministry of Health names three drugs that can treat new Chinese coronavirus. rt.com While experts across the world search for a vaccine to tackle the dangerous new infection, Russian health bosses have identified a trio of existing medicines to combat 2019-nCoV in adults. | The new coronavirus can be fought with ribavirin, lopinavir/ritonavir and interferon beta-1b, they believe. These drugs are typically used to treat hepatitis C, HIV and multiple sclerosis respectively. | The Ministry of Health advisory not only offers recommendations, but also describes how the treatments work and in what quantities they should be prescribed. The guidelines are intended for doctors in hospitals throughout…

RT (2020-01-30). Israeli woman convicted of drug trafficking but pardoned by Putin walks free from Russian prison. rt.com Originally facing over seven years behind bars for the illegal possession of drugs, Naama Issachar is going home after President Vladimir Putin pardoned her ahead of a visit by the Israeli premier. | Issachar was officially released from a Russian prison earlier on Thursday, Russia\'s Federal Prison Service (FSIN) confirmed. The woman is returning to Israel on the plane of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was on a brief visit to Moscow, her lawyer said. | Netanyahu and his wife personally greeted the released woman and her mother before escorting them to the plane. | ‚ù§Ô&p…

Alexander Rubinstein (2020-01-30). Anti-Trump-themed \'Immigrant Food\' restaurant owned by lobbyists for right-wing Latin American coup leaders who fueled migration crisis. thegrayzone.com The shocking story of how a couple of wealthy Latin American regime-change hitmen exploited immigration rights, international food, and a…

Staff (2020-01-30). Mexico\'s \"Progressive President\" Sends National Guard to Teargas Immigrants. truthout.org More than a year after the last migrant caravan left Central America, thousands of Central Americans gathered again in Honduras and started their journey to the United States on Jan 15. Back in

Staff (2020-01-30). Most Schools Stifle Indigenous Youth. Standing Rock Offered a Different Vision. truthout.org \"The camps at Standing Rock produced an environment substantially and holistically more supportive for Native youth,\" writes activist Sarah Sunshine Manning. In this excerpt from her essay, which is a part of the collection Standing with Standing Rock: Voices from the #NoDAPL Movement, the actualization of self and community that sprang from the Oceti Sakowin camps speaks to how Western education fails to meet the needs of Indigenous youth. | In early August 2016, tribal nations throughout N…

Anya Parampil (2020-01-30). Social media giants disappear popular Iranian & Venezuelan accounts. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil talks with Professor Mohammad Marandi of the University of Tehran. Professor Marandi\'s Facebook and Instagram…

WSWS (2020-01-30). ITV documentary reveals conditions in prison holding WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. wsws.org Despite going unmentioned, Assange\'s deteriorating health and the concerns of independent medical professionals about his effective solitary confinement in the health care unit hung silently over the programme.

WSWS (2020-01-30). Edward Snowden warns that Assange and Greenwald prosecutions mark new stage in assault on press freedom. wsws.org The NSA whistleblower wrote: \"The most essential journalism of every era is precisely that which a government attempts to silence. These prosecutions demonstrate that they are ready to stop the presses—if they can.\"

WSWS (2020-01-30). How Canada\'s corporate media smeared WikiLeaks publisher and journalist Julian Assange. wsws.org Canada\'s leading media outlets have vilified Assange, while bemoaning the impact of WikiLeaks\' exposures on the global interests of American and Canadian imperialism.

orion the elder (2020-01-30). Gracias Chelsea Manning & Julian Assange for Exposing Bush\'s War Crimes. indybay.org Fruitvale and MacArthur oakland 94602…