RT (2020-02-26). Bahrain orders all schools & kindergartens SHUT DOWN for 2 weeks as coronavirus cases soar. rt.com Bahraini students will be skipping classes due to a perfectly valid reason for the next two weeks, after the country\'s education ministry ordered schools and nurseries to be temporarily closed amid a surge in coronavirus cases. | State-run as well as private kindergartens and schools in Bahrain will shut their doors for two weeks starting Wednesday, the Gulf monarchy\'s authorities announced on Tuesday, after the 9 new cases of the deadly COVID-19 were reported, bringing the total number to 17. | All of the new cases so far have been linked to Iran. The authorities said that those infected traveled from the Isl…

RT (2020-02-26). 'You can't watch it anymore': South Koreans petition to IMPEACH President Moon for vague coronavirus response. rt.com A petition to impeach President Moon Jae-in is gaining support in South Korea, with people accusing him of not doing enough to contain the fatal coronavirus — including keeping borders partly open for Chinese travelers. | \"Watching President Moon respond to the COVID-19 outbreak is like looking at the president of China, not the president of Korea,\" reads the

RT (2020-02-26). 'Just leave': Afghanistan withdrawal is no-brainer, but 'deep state' controls US foreign policy, says ex-Virginia lawmaker. rt.com A truce between US troops and the Taliban in Afghanistan could result in American forces finally exiting the country, but there are powerful interests that want the war to continue, former Virginia senator Richard Black told RT. | The week-long ceasefire agreement between the two foes appears to be holding, and could pave the way for further negotiations that could lead to a withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan — some 20 years after the US invasion in October 2001. But pulling out from the country is far easier than Washington makes it seem, Black, a retired state lawmaker and veteran, told RT America…

Andrew Bacevich (2020-02-26). Going Off-Script in the Age of Trump. counterpunch.org The impeachment of the president of the United States! Surely such a mega-historic event would reverberate for weeks or months, leaving in its wake no end of consequences, large and small. Wouldn\'t it? Shouldn\'t it? Truth to tell, the word historic does get tossed around rather loosely these days. Just about anything that happens at

RT (2020-02-26). India won't hesitate to cross borders to fight terrorism, defense chief warns 1 year after strikes on Pakistan-based militants. rt.com India\'s armed forces won\'t hesitate to cross other nations\' borders to protect the country from terrorism, its defense minister declared as New Delhi celebrated last year\'s airstrike on a militant training camp in Pakistan. | Rajnath Singh saluted \"the unmatched bravery and courage\" of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in a series of emotive tweets on Wednesday — exactly one year since the country\'s jets targeted a training facility of Jaish-e Mohammad (JeM), a terrorist grouping based in a Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir. | India will go tough on terrorism under its current prime minister, Singh proclaimed…

RT (2020-02-26). Russia receives UN proposal on strengthening cessation of hostilities in Libya — Moscow. rt.com The UN envoy Ghassan Salame has handed over to Russia a draft agreement on the stabilization and strengthening of the cessation of hostilities in Libya, according to Moscow. | Russian presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa and Deputy FM Mikhail Bogdanov, however, added on Wednesday that Moscow did not see evidence that Libya\'s warring factions were prepared to implement military and political decisions reached at a conference in Berlin on January 19, TASS reported. | It is important now that Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar and UN-backed PM Fayez Mustafa al-Sarraj support the basi…

RT (2020-02-26). Presidential candidate? Star Wars remorse? Weinstein accomplice? Rumors swirl as Bob Iger steps down as Disney CEO. rt.com Bob Iger is stepping down as CEO of Disney after transforming the company during his 15 years at its helm. Everyone from angry Star Wars fans to Project Veritas\' James O\'Keefe is taking credit following the surprise announcement. | Iger will remain as executive chairman until his contract is up at the end of 2021, gradually transitioning his responsibilities to his successor while retaining control of the creative side of Disney. The new CEO, Bob Chapek, has been with the company for 27 years and previously ran \"Experiences and Products\" — theme parks and cruise ships — a role in which he oversaw Dis…

RT (2020-02-26). Assange detention illegal under English, European and international law, defense argues. rt.com Day three of the Julian Assange extradition hearing is focusing on whether the allegations against Assange amount to \"political offenses.\" If so, it would likely be outside of the judge\'s jurisdiction to approve extradition. | Kicking off proceedings at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday, defense counsel Edward Fitzgerald argued that 17 of the 18 counts with which the WikiLeaks founder has been charged fall under the US Espionage Act, which makes them political on face value. He added that the 18th count, of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, was in order to carry out the other alleged offenses. | Also on…

RT (2020-02-26). 'Tigers' and 'wolves' duke it out in court: Russian armored car maker sues biker association leader over trademark. rt.com AMZ, the defense contractor that makes the Tigr, Russia\'s only modern armored car, can\'t call their latest project \'Wolf\' because Russia\'s largest biker club, the \'Night Wolves\' owns the trademark. So AMZ is taking them to court. | Arzamas Machine-building Plant (AMZ) wants to call their latest armored car \'Wolf,\' but they\'ve hit a surprising road bump: the \'Night Wolves\' have had the trademark for the word since 2000. Their leader, Aleksandr \'Surgeon\' Zaldostanov, has personally owned it for 13 years now. So now, the Russian manufacturer has taken \'Surgeon\' to intellectual property court, claiming he isn\'t us…

RT (2020-02-26). Pakistan paves way for trade with Russia by settling Soviet-era debt. rt.com Islamabad has repaid Moscow the $93.5 million (Rs 1,442 billion) debt pending since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The issue was a major hurdle in boosting the country\'s trade ties with Russia. | The trade dispute resolution will pave the way for billions of dollars in Russian investments in Pakistan, said the country\'s official. | Also on rt.com | | Under the agreement, the Pakistani government was bound to return $93.5 million to Russia within 90 days of the signing and clear pending Rus…

RT (2020-02-26). Pakistan PM Khan calls on world to stop 'Nazi-inspired ideology' in India amid Kashmir & Citizenship Act unrest. rt.com India has embraced racist beliefs tantamount to the views espoused by Nazi Germany, and the world must take action to stop the country\'s Muslim minority from being \'targeted,\' Pakistan\'s Imran Khan has argued. | The Pakistani prime minister made the comments while tweeting about ongoing violence in Delhi between supporters and opponents of India\'s new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The unrest has caused the deaths of at least 20 people as of Wednesday. | \"Today in India we are seeing the Nazi-inspired RSS ideology take over a nuclear-armed state of over a billion people,\" Khan wrote, referring to the Rashtri…

RT (2020-02-26). \'Most significant air action by the IAF in 4+ decades\': Indian air chief says Balakot airstrikes showed Delhi's \'firm resolve\'. rt.com New Delhi\'s pre-dawn air raid on a militant training camp in Balakot, Pakistan last year marked the country\'s largest air force action in 40 years, India\'s air chief said nearly one year to the day after the dramatic operation. | The strikes, carried out last February in retaliation for the Pulwama terrorist attack — which killed 43 Indian troops in Kashmir — targeted a training facility operated by Islamist terrorism cell Jaish-e-Mohammed. It was the largest air operation seen in the region in decades, involving 12 Mirage 2000 fighter jets, Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bha…

RT (2020-02-26). Sanders strengthens lead nationwide, edging out Biden among black voters as Bloomberg nosedives — poll. rt.com Progressive champion Bernie Sanders has cemented his lead in the Democratic race, pulling ahead of Joe Biden in support from black voters as the candidates prepare for the South Carolina primary, according to a new poll. | Leading the other competitors by an 11-point margin, Sanders has secured a double-digit lead for the first time in the race, with 26 percent of those surveyed in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll saying they would vote for the Vermont senator. Former vice president Joe Biden and billionaire former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg, meanwhile, remain tied for a distant second, each garnering 15 percent.

Nozomi Hayase (2020-02-26). Assange\'s Extradition Hearing Reveals Trump\'s War on Free Press Is Targeting WikiLeaks Publisher. counterpunch.org On Monday, WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange\'s one-week extradition hearing began at Woolwich Crown Court in SouthEast London. The judge heard the opening arguments for the prosecution and defense. The prosecution began, accusing the journalist who exposed the US government\'s war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan of espionage charges that would carry 175 years in jail.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-26). Julian Assange Against the Imperium: Day Two of Extradition Hearings. globalresearch.ca The second day of extradition hearings against Julian Assange and by virtue of that, WikiLeaks, saw Mark Summers QC deliver a formidable serve for the defence at Woolwich Crown Court. \"It\'s difficult to conceive of a clearer example of an …

WSWS (2020-02-26). SEG (New Zealand) rally in Wellington demands freedom for Assange and Manning. wsws.org Speakers denounced the persecution of the WikiLeaks founder and the whistleblower, Chelsea Manning, who are both in prison and being psychologically tortured for revealing US war crimes.

Kollibri terre Sonnenblume (2020-02-26). Russiagate: The Toxic Gift That Keeps on Giving. counterpunch.org All smears are boomerang smears. That is why anyone worth a damn does not engage in it. That goes for the Russia-Gaters, the left/right smears on Gabbard, the years of left/right smears on Assange, the attacks on the Green Party and now the Russia narrative attacks on Sanders. Falling into line with the secret police

Patrick Cockburn (2020-02-26). With Wikileaks, Julian Assange Did What All Journalists Should Do. counterpunch.org I was in Kabul in 2010 when Julian Assange and WikiLeaks first released a vast archive of classified US government documents, revealing what Washington really knew about what was happening in the world. I was particularly interested in one of these disclosures which came in the shape of a video that the Pentagon had refused to release despite

BACFJA (2020-02-26). SF Demands Free Julian Assange & Goes Into UK Consulate Building Lobby. indybay.org As part of world day of action to Free Julian Assange activists rallied in San Francisco and then briefly occupied the UK building lobby.

WSWS (2020-02-26). SEP US presidential candidate Joseph Kishore: \"Free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning!\" wsws.org The Socialist Equality Party opposes Assange\'s extradition to the United States. We demand immediate freedom for Assange and for whistleblower Chelsea Manning.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-26). Julian Assange and the Imperium\'s Face: Day One of the Extradition Hearings. counterpunch.org If we are to believe it, Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, the man behind showing the ugliness of power, is the one responsible for having abused it. It is a running theme in the US case against this Australian publisher, who has been given the coating of common criminality hiding the obvious point: that the mission

WSWS (2020-02-26). Persecuted journalist Assange handcuffed, stripped naked on first day of extradition trial. wsws.org As proceedings were due to begin, a court official told WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson that he was barred from the public gallery.

Ben Norton (2020-02-26). Vanderbilt oligarch heir Anderson Cooper worked at CIA in college. thegrayzone.com CNN and 60 Minutes host Anderson Cooper, who red-baited Bernie Sanders over old comments praising Fidel Castro\'s literacy program, worked…

San Jose Peace & Justice Center (2020-02-26). Sanctions: The Weaponization of the Global Financial System. indybay.org San José Peace and Justice Center | 48 South 7th Street | San José, CA 95112 | Bus routes: 22, 522, 23, 523, 55, 64, 66, 68, 72, 73, 168, 181, 500, Hwy 17 Express, MST 55, LRT…

David Swanson (2020-02-26). Nonviolent Action for Peace. counterpunch.org George Lakey\'s new book is called How We Win: A Guide to Nonviolent Direct Action Campaigning. On its cover is a drawing of a hand holding up two fingers in what is more often considered a peace sign than a victory sign, but I suppose it is meant as both. Perhaps nobody is better qualified

Adalah-NY (2020-02-26). BDS protest at sheet maker Brooklinen\'s NYC store over production in Israel. indybay.org At a protest Sunday at Brooklinen\'s new Williamsburg, Brooklyn store, New York human rights advocates called for a boycott of the online sheet and linen retailer, over their Israeli production partners\' involvement in Israel\'s apartheid rule over the Palestinian people.

F. William Engdahl (2020-02-26). How Globalization and China\'s Economic Crisis Might Jeopardize Our Precarious Medical Supply Chains. globalresearch.ca The grave risks and dangers in the process of worldwide out-sourcing and so-called globalization of the past 30 years or so are becoming starkly clear as the ongoing health emergency across China threatens vital world supply chains from China to …

Prof. Marjorie Cohn (2020-02-26). Arguments About Bloomberg\'s \"Electability\" Overlook His Racism and Misogyny. globalresearch.ca As billionaire Michael Bloomberg endeavors to buy his way to the presidency, some pundits

Paul Antonopoulos (2020-02-26). Turkey\'s Request for U.S. Patriot Missiles to Pressure Russia in Syria Will Not Work. globalresearch.ca Ankara\'s statements about an imminent military operation in Syria and the Turkish authorities\' request for Washington to supply them with U.S.-made Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems are just Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan\'s manoeuvres to leverage against Russia that his …

Paul Street (2020-02-26). The \"Liberal\" Media\'s Propaganda War on Bernie Sanders. zcomm.org Do not be surprised if the Russia angle becomes a master narrative in coming weeks…

Ted Rall (2020-02-26). Don\'t Worry, Centrists. Bernie Isn\'t Radical. counterpunch.org Watching panicky corporate-owned Democrats twist on the devil\'s fork of Bernie Sanders\' \"political revolution\" is almost as much fun as it must have been for my mom and her fellow villagers to watch Vichy collaborators and Nazi sympathizers being executed by the resistance at the end of World War II. (That, Chris Matthews, is how

Jeremy Kuzmarov (2020-02-26). Anti-Russian Xenophobia Reaches Ridiculous Levels. counterpunch.org Following his resounding defeat in Nevada in the Democratic Party Caucus, Joe Biden blamed the Russians, telling CBS News that the \"Russians don\'t want me to be the nominee, they like Bernie.\" The intelligence communities a few days earlier accused Russia of favoring Bernie Sanders and Donald J. Trump. Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic Party

Mehdi Hasan (2020-02-26). Everything We Were Told About Bernie Sanders Was Wrong. zcomm.org Can we agree, in the wake of primary contests in Iowa, New Hampshire, and now Nevada, that everything we were told about Sen. Bernie Sanders was wrong?

teleSUR (2020-02-26). Donziguer, Not the Lawyer Depicted by Chevron-Texaco: Report. telesurenglish.net Environmental attorney Steven Donziger, known for winning the Chevron-Texaco oil spill case for Ecuador, got a 36-page recommendation letter. The letter asks for his law license back on Monday after a suspension and house arrest in a ruling that he claimed was pushed by Chevron as retaliation. | RELATED: | \"My recommendation is that his interim suspension should be ended, and that he should be allowed to resume the practice…

Matthew Hoh (2020-02-26). Heaven Protect Us From Men Who Live the Illusion of Danger: Pete Buttigieg and the US Military. counterpunch.org #CIAPete has been trending on social media this past month as stories and commentaries have emerged telling and re-telling Pete Buttigieg\'s role as a naval intelligence officer in Afghanistan, his duties in his assignment in Kabul as a member of the Afghan Threat Finance Cell, and his relationship to CIA colleagues. This would be all rather amusing and just another dust speck of non-sense in the vast universe of inanity that is the US presidential race, if it were not for Buttigieg\'s own use of his time in uniform and in Afghanistan as a cudgel to silence others from both an informed and moral perspective on issu…

Shlomi Eldar (2020-02-26). Netanyahu\'s Holy Alliance with Rightwing, Ultra-Orthodox. globalresearch.ca Until a few weeks ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\'s campaign tactic was to help the far-right Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) garner enough votes to enter the Knesset and thereby

Manuel García, Jr. (2020-02-26). Climate Change and Voting 2020. counterpunch.org Today, humanity faces a situation unique in the 200,000 year existence of our species Homo sapiens sapiens, and unique in the 2 million year existence of our genus, Homo: the unprecedented steady linear advance of global warming since 1970, which is making our planet irreversibly less habitable as time progresses, and which is driven entirely

WSWS (2020-02-26). 2020 began with the hottest January in recorded history. wsws.org One of the major consequences of human-induced climate change is sea level rise, which threatens coastal flooding and the displacement of hundreds of millions of people.

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida (2020-02-26). Brazil in Search for \"Fake Enemies\" globalresearch.ca Recently, the Brazilian Ministry of Defense published a dossier on possible threats to national security over the next two decades. The document, however, is far from showing any sign of seriousness, being full of unfounded predictions, which call into question …

Zero Hedge (2020-02-26). \"Sick People\" — Russian Lawmakers Blast US for Nuclear War Exercise. globalresearch.ca US Defense Secretary Mark Esper participated in a war exercise late last week at the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) HQ in Omaha, Nebraska, which featured how the Pentagon would respond to a Russian nuclear attack on Europe,

WSWS (2020-02-26). Wall Street falls as coronavirus spreads. wsws.org After reaching record highs last week, the major indexes have lost all their gains for the year, wiping out some $2.1 trillion from share values.

Matthew J. L. Ehret (2020-02-26). Philippine Patriots Say \"No\" to WWIII and \"Yes\" to the New Silk Road. dissidentvoice.org The Philippines President Duterte\'s recent announcement that the 1998 U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) would be cancelled has renewed hope that not only would this former U.S. colony finally attain freedom from imperial manipulation, but also that a new emerging age of infrastructure development can usher in an end of poverty and war in the …

Tom Anderson (2020-02-26). A new Israeli atrocity in Gaza was carried out with the help of a multinational corporation. thecanary.co Trigger warning: this piece contains video footage that some viewers may find distressing. | Disclosure: The author of this piece is also a researcher for On Monday 24 February the world woke up to a new set of gruesome images showing the terrible reality of Israel\'s siege of the Gaza Strip. | A young man called Mohammed al-Naem was

Gypsy Taub (2020-02-26). Nude Monthly Freedom Walk. indybay.org Nude Monthly Freedom Walk – Sunday, March 1st at 12 Noon at Jane Warner Plaza…

Staff (2020-02-26). As World Scrambles, Experts Warn Virus Is Certain to Spread in U.S. truthdig.com CDC\'s call for Americans to be prepared for spread of \"severe illness\" added new urgency to response efforts that had focused on overseas.

Mikele Kearney (2020-02-26). Film Explores Courage in Time of War — Hope Shines in the Darkest Places. indybay.org Niles Discovery Church | 36600 Niles Blvd | Fremont, Ca 94536…

WSWS (2020-02-26). The fix is in: Kenneth Feinberg to oversee payouts to Boeing crash victims. wsws.org Feinberg\'s career as Wall Street\'s preeminent \"fixer\" began when he minimized the payouts Dow and Monsanto made to victims of Agent Orange during and after the Vietnam War.

Brenda Norrell (2020-02-26). Mohawks urge Tohono O\'odham to blockade border wall and offer help. indybay.org Mark Maracle of the Mohawk Warrior Society said Tohono O\'odham should shut down construction of the border wall. Maracle said Mohawks stand ready to help them and fear should not control their minds.

William Astore (2020-02-26). The US Government Has Sanitized War. thenation.com The US Government Has Sanitized War…

John Feffer (2020-02-26). Making America Unsafe Again. zcomm.org Whether it\'s Russian hackers, deadly viruses, or unscrupulous investors, the Trump administration has made it much easier for some foreign agents to destabilize the United States…

RT (2020-02-25). Wrong dimensions: Trump reportedly misses out on inspecting Taj Mahal graves due to his HEIGHT. rt.com On a sightseeing tour during his first trip to India, US President Donald Trump declined to see the original grave site within the historic Taj Mahal mausoleum, with security staff apparently worried that he wouldn\'t fit inside. | \"Trump was totally amused by the beauty of Taj Mahal,\" Nitin Kumar Singh, the guide who accompanied the presidential couple on their tour of the monument, told IANS. | However, he didn\'t go to see the original graves of [Mughal ruler] Shahjahan and [his wife] Mumtaz as his security personnel felt that he might get hurt as the way to the original graves is narrow and low in height.

RT (2020-02-25). Israel-Gaza ceasefire takes hold after 2 days of fighting. rt.com A ceasefire took hold on the Israel-Gaza border on Tuesday after two days of fighting between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, Reuters reported. The frontier fell quiet early on Tuesday, after a Palestinian official said Israel and Islamic Jihad had reached a \"reciprocal and simultaneous ceasefire\" mediated by Egypt and the UN. | Islamic Jihad had fired 80 rockets towards Israeli communities along the Gaza border since Sunday, according to an Israeli military spokeswoman. Israel reportedly attacked sites in Gaza and Syria that killed three members of the militant group. | No casualties were repo…

Joe Penney (2020-02-25). How Medical Negligence at the US Border Killed an Immigrant Father. thenation.com Nebane Abienwi fled a civil conflict in Cameroon. Once in the US, it was shoddy medical care that killed him.

RT (2020-02-25). Residents clash with police as Greek govt proceeds with construction of new migrant center in Lesbos (PHOTOS/VIDEOS). rt.com Greek police used tear gas to disperse hundreds of angry residents who attempted to halt the construction of a migrant detention center on the island of Lesbos. The clashes came amid growing anger over Athens\' immigration policy. | Around 500 people attempted to block the unloading of heavy machinery and police reinforcements on the island, which will house a new migrant camp. Locals set fires and brawled with riot cops as police attempted to restore order, according to local media. | | Riot police reinforcements arrive on a ferry at Lesbos, Greece, February 25, 2020. | © REUTERS/Elias Marcou | Photogra…

RT (2020-02-25). US wargames in South Korea might be scaled back over coronavirus fears — or lack of funding deal with Seoul. rt.com News that the US and South Korea are considering downsizing joint military drills — ostensibly due to coronavirus concerns — comes as the Pentagon is trying to twist Seoul\'s arm into paying billions for the upkeep of US garrisons. | US Defense Secretary Mark Esper made a comment about coronavirus figuring into considerations about the drills at the press conference following a meeting at the Pentagon with his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo. | Looming over the possible downsizing, however, is the unresolved issue of funding for US troops in South Korea. Seoul currently contributes just un…

RT (2020-02-25). Iran's deputy health minister tests positive for coronavirus — local media. rt.com Iran\'s Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi has tested positive for coronavirus, Iranian state media has reported. Harirchi has been at the forefront of the country\'s response to the outbreak. | A spokesperson for Iran\'s health ministry confirmed in a television interview on Tuesday that Harirchi has been infected and is under quarantine. | ILNA reported Monday that officials from the city of Qom had said there had been 50 coronavirus deaths there. \"We prefer not to censor what concerns the coronavirus because people\'s lives are in danger,\" the outlet said. | Harirchi rejected that report, however, saying he w…

RT (2020-02-25). 'Go back to school and look at the map!' Twitterati hammer CNN as it draws non-existent SHARED border between Germany & Italy. rt.com CNN has failed a basic geography test, putting Germany much closer to Italy than it actually is, during a report on how the EU is combatting the novel coronavirus. Netizens showed no mercy to the network\'s online team. | News that Germany isn\'t raising the alarm due to the 2019-nCoV outbreak in Italy prompted many established media to report on it, with CNN being no exception. The broadcaster\'s actual report cited a German foreign ministry spokeswoman who said Berlin wasn\'t issuing a travel warning for Italy at the moment, but their Twitter publication wasn\'t as accurate. | Now, you have to read carefully to s…

Eds. (2020-02-25). JP Morgan economists warn of \'catastrophic outcomes\' of human-caused climate crisis. mronline.org \"Don\'t want to hear Greta Thunberg or Extinction Rebellion? Try J.P. Morgan instead.\" |

W. T. Whitney, Jr. (2020-02-25). For the climate: protecting the Commons and fixing Democracy. mronline.org Climate change, unchecked, promises planetary disaster. All forms of life are threatened. Scientific evidence strongly suggests capitalistforms of production and consumption gave rise to climate change in the first place and have allowed the process to advance. |

RT (2020-02-25). \'Delete his entire campaign\': Bloomberg gets roasted after tweeting, then scrubbing, fake Bernie quotes praising \'despots\'. rt.com Billionaire-turned-Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has taken a severe thrashing on social media, after his campaign posted, and then deleted, fake Bernie Sanders quotes hailing alleged \"despots. \" | Bloomberg\'s social media team took aim at the Vermont senator with a series of tweets mocking his factually accurate statement that literacy in Cuba skyrocketed under Fidel Castro. | The official \'Team Bloomberg\' Twitter account shot off a series of posts in which they imagined what Sanders perhaps thinks of other \"famous despots.\" The fake quotes included flattering remarks about Stalin (\"[he]…

RT (2020-02-25). \'Bang-bang-bang\': Bloomberg says he\'d DRONE his critics & shield banks if elected president in leaked audio. rt.com Billionaire Democratic hopeful Michael Bloomberg vowed to \"defend the banks\" and jokingly suggested that he may hunt down his political rivals with Predator drones if elected, a leaked 2016 audio clip has revealed. | The Bloomberg campaign has confirmed the authenticity of the recording, which captured a speech he gave at a closed-door Goldman Sachs event at Yankee Stadium in June 2016. The clip was posted online by a self-styled disgruntled former Goldman executive several days ago and has since made the rounds. | Bloomberg\'s opening remarks can only help to fuel concerns within the progressive wing of his…

RT (2020-02-25). Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, who ruled until Arab Spring, dead at 91. rt.com Egypt\'s former leader, Hosni Mubarak, has died aged 91, according to media reports citing his family. The controversial president ruled Egypt for three decades before being jailed on corruption charges. | Mubarak died several weeks after undergoing surgery, Egyptian media reported. A family member told AFP that the former ruler died at Cairo\'s Galaa military hospital. | In a statement, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hailed Mubarak as a \"military leader and war hero\" and offered his condolences to his family. Mubarak will receive a military funeral, but the time of his burial is still not clear, accord…

RT (2020-02-25). Netanyahu to press ahead with plan to build 3,500 homes for settlers in West Bank. rt.com Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he was moving forward with a plan to build some 3,500 homes for Jewish settlers on the outskirts of Jerusalem. | \"I have given instructions to immediately publish for deposit the plan to build 3,500 housing units in E-1,\" Netanyahu said. He referred to a preliminary stage of the project which had been delayed for six and a half years after international criticism. | Opponents of the construction plan for the E-1 area in the West Bank had cautioned that Israeli housing in the corridor\'s barren hills could bisect the West Bank, cut off Palestinians from Jerusalem and…

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-25). Julian Assange and the Imperium\'s Face: Day One of the Extradition Hearings. globalresearch.ca If we are to believe it, Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, the man behind showing the ugliness of power, is the one responsible for having abused it. It is a running theme in the US case against this Australian publisher, who …

WSWS (2020-02-25). The show trial of Julian Assange begins. wsws.org The first day of the British court hearing yesterday to determine if WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange will be extradited to the United States left no doubt that what is taking place is a legal travesty that threatens both Assange\'s life and fundamental democratic rights.

WSWS (2020-02-25). Hundreds protest outside Woolwich Crown Court to demand Assange\'s freedom. wsws.org Protesters were not allowed anywhere near the building, kept behind barricades and an imposing steel fence by security and police.

WSWS (2020-02-25). Rally and march in Melbourne, Australia demands freedom for Julian Assange. wsws.org Many people in the city centre expressed support for the march as it passed, with some joining the demonstration.

BACFJA (2020-02-25). SF Demands Free Julian Assange & Goes Into UK Consulate Building Lobby. indybay.org As part of world day of action to Free Julian Assange activists rallied in San Francisco and then briefly occupied the UK building lobby.

Kevin Gosztola (2020-02-25). As Assange\'s trial begins, his lawyers highlight risk of extradition with CIA spying operation\'s \'extreme measures\'. thegrayzone.com Assange\'s lawyers pointed to CIA surveillance by a Sheldon Adelson-backed private contractor and the Trump administration\'s public contempt for the…

WSWS (2020-02-25). Assange extradition trial opens in London. wsws.org Amid growing popular outrage over the railroading of Assange to a US prison, lawyers for the Department of Justice sought to reframe the charges against him.

Aaron Maté (2020-02-25). The Russiagate Racket targets the Bernie Sanders surge. thegrayzone.com With a familiar playbook of evidence-free, anonymously sourced red-baiting, the forces behind Russiagate try to stop Bernie Sanders\' primary success….

Howard Lisnoff (2020-02-25). The Powerful Are Going After Jane Fonda Again. counterpunch.org The more things change, well readers get the drift here. Jane Fonda, the accomplished actor and protester, who protests right outside of the idiot-in-chief\'s door these days on the pressing issue of environmental ruin, is being tormented once again for an act of protest during the Vietnam War era. Ohio\'s secretary of state, Frank La

Adalah-NY (2020-02-25). BDS protest at sheet maker Brooklinen\'s NYC store over production in Israel. indybay.org At a protest Sunday at Brooklinen\'s new Williamsburg, Brooklyn store, New York human rights advocates called for a boycott of the online sheet and linen retailer, over their Israeli production partners\' involvement in Israel\'s apartheid rule over the Palestinian people.

Jessie Lau (2020-02-25). Hong Kong Is Still Waiting for Its Feminist Uprising. thenation.com Hong Kong Is Still Waiting for Its Feminist Uprising…

Die-In Inside Bank Branch (2020-02-25). Protesters in Silicon Valley Tell Wells Fargo \"Quit the Dirty Energy Business\" indybay.org Demonstrators called on Big Oil\'s largest lender, Wells Fargo, to halt its financing of fossil fuels and invest instead in clean energy solutions to the climate crisis. They took their protest of Feb 21 to a branch in Mountain View, CA.

350Marin, Sunrise Movement, Sierra Club (2020-02-25). Stop Funding Climate Chaos! Big Banks Protest in San Anselmo. indybay.org Creek Park, 451 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, San Anselmo, California 94960…

Leon Kunstenaar (2020-02-25). Wells Fargo Hit By Climate Protest for Second Consecutive Day. indybay.org Silicon Valley Environmental group holds \"visitation\" event at Mountain View branch.

David Swanson (2020-02-25). How Are We Going to Pay for Saving Trillions of Dollars? counterpunch.org Enhanced Medicare for All — that wild scheme that Michael Bloomberg calls \"untried\" because it\'s only been tested for decades in virtually every wealthy nation on earth — would cost $450 billion a year less than the current U.S. system. In the usual propaganda terms (in which you multiply by ten and then — if asked —

Paul Street (2020-02-25). The \"Liberal\" Media\'s Propaganda War on Bernie Sanders. counterpunch.org Last week, three days before the Nevada Caucus, MSDNC\'s Stephanie Ruhle had on an old friend, former Diamond Resorts CEO Stephen Cloobeck, a major Democratic Party funder, to speak from Las Vegas. Asked about one of Ruhle\'s favorite topics, the menace of \"socialist Bernie Sanders,\" Cloobeck called Sanders \"an anarchist\" who \"would love to burn down the United States\" \" (When asked if he would support Trump if Sanders is the nominee, Cloobeck growled \"anyone but Bernie, anyone but Bernie.\"). She later gleamed while one or her many Republican guests, Jeb Bush\'s former campaign manager, called for Michael Bloomberg…

Ralph Nader (2020-02-25). Sanctions and Corruption: Three Major News Stories that Need to be Exposed. globalresearch.ca The news is filled with stories about President Trump and his predecessors imposing sanctions on other countries, their officials, and other prominent persons. But the media rarely spells out exactly what these sanctions are, the intermediaries who enforce them, the …

Stephen Lendman (2020-02-25). No Russian 2020 Election Meddling Says US Intelligence Community Official. globalresearch.ca In January 2017, days before Trump\'s inauguration, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) concluded with \"high confidence (that) Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election (sic).\" | Weeks before the US 2016 …

Sheldon Richman (2020-02-25). The Non-Intervention Principle. counterpunch.org Anyone old enough to think about \"America\'s\" role in the world ought to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. For example, one ought to be able to argue firmly against U.S. intervention in other countries without feeling obliged to downplay or deny the real crimes that the tyrant du jour has committed. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees.

John W. Whitehead (2020-02-25). Gun-Toting Cops Endanger Students and Turn Schools into Prisons. counterpunch.org \"Every day in communities across the United States, children and adolescents spend the majority of their waking hours in schools that have increasingly come to resemble places of detention more than places of learning.\" —Investigative journalist Annette Fuentes Just when you thought the government couldn\'t get any more tone-deaf about civil liberties and the growing

Jack Rasmus (2020-02-25). The Nevada Caucus and the Desperation of Democrat Elites. counterpunch.org The events of the past week—beginning with the TV debates of the candidates on February 19 and culminating in the Nevada Democrat Party caucus in Nevada on February 22 this past Saturday—show a growing desperation in the ranks of the Democratic Party\'s corporate-driven leadership as the Sanders campaign has assumed a clear lead in the

John Feffer (2020-02-25). Cleaning Up Trump\'s Global Mess. counterpunch.org The next presidential election will not likely hinge on foreign policy. Americans will go to the polls in November to express their fervent support, or disgust, for Donald Trump. The candidates\' positions on the issues — on any issues — matter only to a dwindling number of voters who have somehow managed, over the last

Dean Baker (2020-02-25). What If Buttigieg Said That He Doesn\'t Accept the \"Fashionable\" View That Climate Change is a Problem? counterpunch.org To my knowledge, he hasn\'t said anything like that, but Buttigieg did say that he doesn\'t accept the \"fashionable\" view that current deficits are not a problem. When he made this comment, many progressives denounced him for supporting deficit reducing policies that will slow growth and raise unemployment. Since most plans for deficit reduction also

Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-25). Viral Losses: Australian Universities, Coronavirus and Greed. counterpunch.org There are few things more richly deserved than the punishment of a profligate ruler who finds himself fending off a hungry citizenry. But such matters lie in the realm of government, elections, holding representative office. Universities, notably in Australia, are oblivious to accountability and have, over several decades, become a booming corporatocracy. Institutionally, they constitute

John Eskow (2020-02-25). What Will You Do If the Democrats Steal It from Sanders? counterpunch.org \"If Hillary gave up one of her balls and gave it to Obama, he\'d have two.\" —James Carville \"Well, you know, James Carville is well-known for spouting off his mouth without always knowing what he\'s talking about. And I intend to stay focused on fighting for the American people because what they don\'t need is 20 more years of

Michael Hudson (2020-02-25). The Democrats\' Quandary: In a Struggle Between Oligarchy and Democracy, Something Must Give. counterpunch.org To hear the candidates debate, you would think that their fight was over who could best beat Trump. But when Trump\'s billionaire twin Mike Bloomberg throws a quarter-billion dollars into an ad campaign to bypass the candidates actually running for votes in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, it\'s obvious that what really is at issue

Nicholas Levis (2020-02-25). The Real Meaning of Red Scare 3.0. counterpunch.org The US corporate media, who had such a long run as relative monopolizers of truth, have been discrediting themselves in serial fashion since 9/11. Their lapdoggery to the Bush regime backfired on them during the WMD lie operation and the resulting war of aggression. Then came their participation in the fraudulent business reporting leading up to the 2007-2009 Wall Street crash, and their big lies afterward that \"no one could have imagined.\" The next big rupture arrived in 2015-2016, their million-minutes spent on preemptive coronations of Trump as one candidate and Clinton as the other, and their responsibility f…

Marshall Sahlins (2020-02-25). David Brooks, Public Intellectual. counterpunch.org David Brooks, Public Intellectual I am the very model of a public intellectual, My op-eds in the New York Times are never ineffectual, I\'m expert on all matters from political to sexual, I am the very model of a public intellectual.

WSWS (2020-02-25). Russia seeks to ease tensions with Belarus over energy dispute. wsws.org Russia will compensate Belarus $300 million to offset energy price hikes, as Moscow works to preserve its alliance with Minsk.

WSWS (2020-02-25). Two impoverished teenagers die working in an illegal Peruvian mine. wsws.org The deaths of the 14- and 17-year-old brothers of gas poisoning in the mine are part of a nationwide toll from the exploitation of workers in illegal and unsafe mines.

It\'s Going Down (2020-02-25). Report Back from Lockdown at Chase Corporate Offices in Solidarity with Wet\'suwet\'en. indybay.org The following is an account from the Indigenous group who participated in the Chase corporate office lockdown in so-called San Francisco, California, in solidarity with the Wet\'suwet\'en.

WSWS (2020-02-25). Brazilian oil workers\' unions shut down strike to \"negotiate\" with Labor Court. wsws.org The oil workers union federations ended the three-week strike at state-owned oil giant Petrobras just as it threatened to impact Brazil\'s economy.

Telesur (2020-02-25). Bolivia\'s Electoral Body Disqualifies Evo Morales\' Candidacy. globalresearch.ca The president of the Supreme Electoral Court of Bolivia (TSE) Salvador Romero informed that the former President Evo Morales will not be able to participate in the 2020 general elections, which will be held on May 3. | During a press …

Tom Clifford (2020-02-25). The New Coronavirus Outbreak, COVID-19, Sounds Menacing and Is. globalresearch.ca Tom Clifford Reporting from Beijing | There is no room for complacency or outright fear. The new coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19, sounds menacing and is. But there\'s another viral epidemic hitting countries around the world: the flu. | COVID-19 has, since December, led …

Olivia Alperstein (2020-02-25). We Need to Treat Nuclear War Like the Emergency It Is. globalresearch.ca If the current state of global affairs reminds you of an over-the-top plot by a white-cat-stroking James Bond villain, you\'re not far off. When it comes to nuclear policy, we are closer than ever to a real-life movie disaster. | During …

WSWS (2020-02-25). German right-wing and far-right parties suffer defeat in Hamburg state election. wsws.org Four days after the right-wing terrorist attack in Hanau, the Christian Democrats and Free Democrats, the parties that formed an alliance with the far-right Alternative for Germany to elect the minister president in Thuringia, lost large numbers of votes in Hamburg.

WSWS (2020-02-25). Germany: Tens of thousands take to the streets against right-wing terror. wsws.org Many demonstrators pointed to the complicity of the security agencies and the right-wing policies of all the establishment parties, which paved the way for the neo-Nazi terror.