RT (2020-02-08). NATO's \'hysteria\' over Russia stalking their satellites is only to get more money — MPs. rt.com Claims that Russia is using its spacecraft to spy on NATO satellites have no real backing and are used to justify funding requests as the US and its allies are militarizing space, Russian MPs said. | Earlier this week, French General Andre Lanata, who is NATO\'s supreme allied commander transformation, sounded the alarm over a recently-launched Russian satellite synchronizing its orbit with an American surveillance spacecraft. | \"It is a threat to our allies,\" Lanata told the Washington Examiner. \"It\'s a key question. We need to be sure that we give to our forces this space asset support.\" | The commander went…

M.K. Bhadrakumar (2020-02-08). U.S. uneasy as Iraq gets new prime minister. mronline.org The protest movement in Iraq, which is now entering its fourth month, has come to be the principal instrument for Washington to surreptitiously advance the broader geopolitical confrontation with Iran that is being played out within the country. |

Ajamu Baraka and Bahman Azad (2020-02-08). Embassy Protectors Will Not Be Able to Tell Jury Guaido Is Not President, or Mention International Law. dissidentvoice.org On February 4, Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell issued a ruling on what the jurors will be allowed to be told in the trial of the Embassy Protectors scheduled to begin on February 11. She granted most of the government\'s requests to prevent the jury from hearing important facts about the case, leaving the protectors …

Bill Boyarsky (2020-02-08). The Iowa Caucuses Are a Mortal Threat to Democracy. truthdig.com The The first contest in th…

Staff (2020-02-08). Payback: Trump Ousts Officials Who Testified in Impeachment Inquiry. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — Exacting swift punishment against those who crossed him, an emboldened President Donald Trump on Friday ousted two government officials who had delivered damaging testimony against him during his impeachment hearings. The president took retribution just two days after his acquittal by the Senate. | First came news that Trump had ousted Lt. Col Alexander Vindman, the decorated soldier and national security aide who played a central role in the Democrats\' impeachment case. He was escorted out of the White House complex Friday, according to his lawyer, who said he was asked to leave in retaliation…

RT (2020-02-08). \'Friday night massacre\': Sondland follows Vindmans as Trump cleans house of \'traitors/heroes\' following failed impeachment. rt.com The recall of US ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland seems to indicate that President Donald Trump is dismissing from service the officials who testified against him in the abortive impeachment proceedings. | \"I was advised that the president intends to recall me effective immediately,\" Sondland said in a statement on Friday evening, adding he was grateful to Trump for the opportunity to head the US mission in Brussels. | Wow — EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland recalled. His attorney sends me this statement on his behalf

RT (2020-02-08). Roger Waters ads banned by Major League Baseball after outcry from Jewish group. rt.com Major League Baseball (MLB) has stopped running promotions of Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters on its platforms, after caving in to pressure from a Jewish group that accused him of anti-Semitism. | In January, Jewish advocacy organization B\'nai B\'rith International began a campaign to protest ads for Waters\' new tour, \'This is Not a Drill\', which appeared on MLB platforms. The group claimed that the musician is an \"avowed anti-Semite\" whose views on Israel \"far exceed the boundaries of civil discourse.\" | Our letter to MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred protesting the promotion of known anti-Semite Roger Waters…

RT (2020-02-08). WATCH: Brazil legend Kaka suffers NUTMEG HUMILIATION as he turns up for amateur game in London. rt.com Brazil legend Kaka graced such stages as the San Siro and Bernabeu during his illustrious playing career, but was spotted in slightly less salubrious surroundings on Saturday as he turned out for a 6-a-side in Hoxton, London. | The former Real Madrid and AC Milan ace made an appearance for a kickaround in a local league as part of a promotional event — and promptly sent Twitter into meltdown. | One clip showed the 37-year-old receiving the ball on the halfway line before beating his man and advancing to goal. | Ignoring the calls from a teammate to cut the ball back, Kaka then spanks it into the top corne…

RT (2020-02-08). \'Unhinged\': MSNBC host Chris Matthews goes on bizarre rant about mass executions & \'the Reds\' while discussing Bernie Sanders. rt.com MSNBC host Chris Matthews is facing backlash on social media after he launched into a heated rant about socialism and appeared to suggest a Bernie Sanders presidency could somehow lead to mass executions in the streets. | During a post-debate special Friday evening, Matthews said his personal views on socialism go back \"to the early 1950s\" before drawing comparisons between Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and former leader of Cuba Fidel Castro. | \"I believe if Castro and the Reds had won the Cold War there would have been executions in Central Park and I might have been one of the ones getting…

RT (2020-02-08). WATCH people leaving Thai shopping mall in panic as shooter takes hostages, kills 20. rt.com The death toll has risen to at least 20 after a soldier went on a shooting rampage and took hostages inside a shopping mall in Thailand, health authorities said. Police said 31 others had been injured. | Local media reported that the shooter, wearing a helmet and mask, took selfies and streamed the attack online. | It\'s not clear whether the attacker began shooting at people before he entered the building or not, but one video posted on Twitter appears to show a man sheltering behind a car door which looks like it has been covered in blood. | Warning: This video contains disturbing images | ‡∏&a…

RT (2020-02-08). \'Senseless act of violence\': High school basketball players brutally beat up coach after game (VIDEO). rt.com Four high school students from Malcom X. Shabazz High School in Newark have been suspended and face criminal charges on suspicion of beating up their assistant coach after an away game. | The reason for the conflict remains unclear, but footage shared on social media shows the coach getting kicked and punched by the players for more than 25 seconds. | The four members of JV basketball team are seen…

RT (2020-02-08). Ancient carvings of scores of animals unearthed in Spanish cave (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com In a discovery that local media have dubbed the \'Catalan Altamira\', an extraordinary trove of 15,000-year-old carvings, depicting dozens of animals, has been found in a cave in northeast Spain\'s Tarragona region. | Around 100 carvings of animals including horses, oxen and deer, as well as mysterious abstract symbols, were found in a cave in the village of L\'Espluga de Francolí. | | © Generalitat de Catalunya | The ancient artworks were revealed on Friday after being discovered in the wake of floods last October. The engravings are extremely delicate, with archaeologists warning that even the slig…

RT (2020-02-08). Massive brawl involving hundreds of locals kills 8, turns southern Kazakhstan village into warzone (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com Dozens of homes were set ablaze and at least 8 people were killed as almost 400 villagers clashed with police and each other in southern Kazakhstan, prompting authorities to send in reinforcements and install roadblocks. | A massive brawl broke out on Friday in the outskirts of Masanchi, a settlement close to the Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan border. The initial call to local police reported 70 people taking part in skirmishes, and several patrols were dispatched to the location. Some \"provocateurs\" were filming the brawl as it unfolded, spreading the videos via messaging apps, Kazakhstan\'s Interior Minister Yerlan Tu…

RT (2020-02-08). \'We turned their pressure into opportunity\': Supreme Leader hails Iranian Air Force built up despite US sanctions. rt.com The US\'s \"criminal\" sanctions didn\'t stop Iran from strengthening its own air power and even \"building planes,\" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said, as the nation marks the anniversary of 1979\'s Islamic Revolution. | The Iranian military industry, Khamenei proclaimed in front of Air Force commanders and other military officials, has become so viable because it didn\'t rely on foreign support, instead developing domestic capabilities. This approach could be extended into other industries as well, he said, according to local media. … Despite sanctions being a criminal act, such an approach can create a lot of opp…

Rick Sterling (2020-02-08). Three Extraordinary Australian Journalists: Burchett, Pilger, Assange. dissidentvoice.org Australia has produced extraordinary journalists across three generations: Wilfred Burchett (deceased in 1983), John Pilger (80 years old but still active) and Julian Assange (48 years old, currently in London\'s Belmarsh prison). Each of these journalists made unique contributions to our understanding of the world. Although Australia is part of the western world, each of …

WSWS (2020-02-08). Montreal SEP Canada meeting demands freedom for Assange and Manning. wsws.org Assange and Manning are the targets of a legal vendetta meant to intimidate and silence all those who would seek to expose the crimes of US imperialism and its allies.

Helena Cobban (2020-02-08). Did Washington use a false pretext for its bloody escalation in Iraq? thegrayzone.com Iraqi officials indicate that ISIS — not Ketaib Hizbullah — attacked a US military base in Iraq, setting off the…

Alexander Rubinstein (2020-02-08). Media darling Pete Buttigieg was in unit that worked with the CIA in Afghanistan. thegrayzone.com While Pete Buttigieg\'s campaign denies online allegations that he was a CIA asset, military records reveal that Buttigieg was in…

Qassim Abdul-Zahra (2020-02-08). At least eight shot dead in southern Iraq. indybay.org At least eight anti-government protesters were shot dead and 52 were wounded in clashes with followers of a radical Shiite cleric in southern Iraq on Wednesday, Iraqi medical officials and activists said.

teleSUR (2020-02-08). Colombia: Paramilitary Black Eagles Threaten Social Activists. telesurenglish.net In the last few hours, in the capital of the country, a threatening pamphlet by the self-styled \'Black Eagles\' began to circulate threatening the promoters and defenders of the marches supporting the national strike. | RELATED: | The person in charge of denouncing the situation was Senator Antonio Sanguino, who said he was threatened along with other political leaders and journalists for their positions in favor of th…

The Canary (2020-02-08). Activist challenges climate crisis deniers at Irish polling station. thecanary.co An activist dressed up as a giant stick of celery targeted two Irish politicians at a polling station as they prepared to cast their votes. | She brandished a sign outside Kilgarvan Central School in Co Kerry saying: \"Climate change is real, it\'s an emergency, and we can all fight it by going vegan.\" | Danny and Michael Healy-Rae were targeted over their views around the issue of climate breakdown. | Michael previously said that he feels farmers are unfairly blamed for the climate crisis, while his brother Danny stated that he does not \"subscribe to the idea that man can influence climate\". | Peta has called on t…

Strategic Culture (2020-02-08). US Deploys \'Mini-Nukes\' in Deplorable Threat to World Peace. theantimedia.com These so-called \"mini-nukes\" represent—despite the diminutive-sounding name—an increased risk of nuclear war.

Jonathan Cook (2020-02-08). Israel\'s Palestinian Minority has Good Reason to Fear Trump\'s Plan. dissidentvoice.org The Trump administration\'s decision to green-light Israel\'s annexation of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank grabbed headlines last week. But US support for a related proposal — one equally cherished by Israel\'s extreme right — was far less noticed. Under the terms of the \"Peace to Prosperity\" document, the US could allow Israel to …

teleSUR (2020-02-08). Ontario Teachers Are Strongly United to Defend Public Education. telesurenglish.net Over the last week, Canadian elementary school teachers have intensified their protest against Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford\'s policies, which seek to cut the number of teachers and increase the number of students per classroom. | RELATED: | Instead, Canadian teachers demand more resources to serve students with special needs, the protection of the preschool education program, and fairer wages. | Despite having br…

teleSUR (2020-02-08). Chile: Harsh Protests Against the Return of the Santiago Mayor. telesurenglish.net Thousands gathered Friday at the Dignity Square to reject a recent decision of the Chilean Senate, which did not dismiss Santiago Metropolitan Mayor Felipe Guevara, a right-wing politician who had been provisionally removed from office as a result of legal charges against him. | RELATED: | Dozens of military police entered the iconic square at 6 pm (local time) to try to disperse thousands of citizens who were pr…

R.R. (2020-02-08). Oakland Protesters Insist Senate Trial Was a Cover-Up, Not an Exoneration. indybay.org After the Senate voted to acquit President Trump on both articles of impeachment, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, protesters took to the streets in Oakland, CA.

Ramzy Baroud (2020-02-08). The \'Deal of the Century\' Challenge for Palestinians. telesurenglish.net After several postponements, United States President Donald Trump has finally revealed the details of his Middle East plan, dubbed \'Deal of the Century\', in a press conference in Washington on Jan. 28. | RELATED: | Standing triumphantly beside Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must have surely understood that the timing of the announcement, only a few weeks before Israel\'s third general elections in one year, was tai…

Dan Bacher (2020-02-08). Western States Petroleum Association Tops CA Lobbying Expenses with $8.8 Million in 2019. indybay.org The Western States Petroleum Association and Chevron together spent a total of $14.7 million on lobbying in California in 2019.

Tyler Durden (2020-02-08). Iraq and Russia Prepare to Boost Military Ties as US Threatens Sanctions. theantimedia.com Iraq and Russia are preparing for deepening military coordination.

news.un (2020-02-08). African Union Summit: Guterres hails \'shared values, mutual respect and common interests\' of UN partnership. news.un.org The UN chief on Saturday called on the international community to recognize the need for African counter-terrorism operations, backed by the UN Security Council, to tackle the growing threat of extremist violence across the continent, and \"predictable funding, guaranteed by compulsory contributions\".

Staff (2020-02-08). Sanders Calls Out Buttigieg for Raking in Billionaire Donations. truthout.org With just four days to go before the New Hampshire Democratic primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday sought to contrast his At a breakfast event at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire hours a…

commondreams (2020-02-08). 350 Action Responds to Presidential Debate in New Hampshire. commondreams.org ______________________________…

John Nichols (2020-02-08). In New Hampshire, Bernie Battles Buttigieg, Billionaires, and Big Money. thenation.com In New Hampshire, Bernie Battles Buttigieg, Billionaires, and Big Money…

teleSUR (2020-02-08). El Salvador President Threatens Parliament to Obtain $109m Loan. telesurenglish.net El Salvador might face a constitutional crisis under President Nayib Bukele, as the head of state has threatened Parliament if lawmakers don\'t gather Sunday for an extraordinary session in order to approve a US$109 million loan. | RELATED: | \"They are constitutionally required to attend the extraordinary session,\" Bukele tweeted Friday citing article 167 of the Constitution, which can be used by the executive to call for a…

teleSUR (2020-02-08). Brazil: Workers\' Party Not to Partner With Bolsonaro\'s Allies. telesurenglish.net Brazil\'s Workers Party (PT) Saturday announced that it will participate in the October municipal elections without making alliances with the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) or the Democratic Party (DEM), which are supporting President Jair Bolsonaro\'s Neoliberal policies. | RELATED: | \"Our party will seek to establish a \'Popular Democratic Front\' with the participation of the leftist parties, social movemen…

teleSUR (2020-02-08). Venezuela to Defend Conviasa Airlines From US Ilegal Sanctions. telesurenglish.net Venezuela\'s RELATED: | Besides offering commercial services, this airline carries out non-profi…

Ryan Cooper (2020-02-08). American Democracy Is Dying. commondreams.org This past week was a litany of democratic disasters. First, on Monday, the Iowa Democratic Party catastrophically botched its caucus.

Binoy Kampmark (2020-02-08). Failed Prosecutions: Donald Trump Survives the Senate. dissidentvoice.org Never undertake a prosecution unless you have good grounds, and prospects, for a solid conviction. In the case against President Donald Trump, there was never a serious prospect that the Senate would cool sufficiently to give the Democrats the votes necessary to affirm vote of impeachment in the House. The GOP remains very much in …

Staff (2020-02-08). Multiple U.S. Casualties Reported in Afghanistan Firefight. truthdig.com KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — American and Afghan military personnel were fired on while conducting an operation in Afghanistan\'s eastern Nangarhar province, the U.S. military said Saturday. | There were multiple American casualties, but the number and the extent of the injuries were not immediately known, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been officially released. | U.S. military spokesman Col. Sonny Leggett said in a statement that both Afghan and U.S. personnel were \'engaged by direct firing.\" | \"We are assessing the situation,\" Leggett said,…

WSWS (2020-02-08). German ruling class commemorates liberation of Auschwitz by planning new wars and new crimes. wsws.org Just one week after official ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, federal parliament President Wolfgang Schà§uble has called for Germany to once again take up the \"burden\" of fighting wars abroad.

Extinction Rebellion (2020-02-08). Unexpected Elephants and Supermarket Crime Scenes. zcomm.org As we build momentum for another round of conscientious protection, there\'s no shortage of opportunities for warming up this February…

Staff (2020-02-08). House Passes Bill to Dramatically Strengthen the Power of Unions. truthout.org House Democrats just passed an important blueprint for strengthening unions and building worker power. If signed into law, the labor law reforms within the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act would amount to the biggest change to the rules governing employers and workers in generations. Among other major features, it would bolster workers\' ability to unionize, expand organizing rights to more workers and strengthen the right to strike. | Although flawed, the legislation would go a long way toward…

WSWS (2020-02-08). Coronavirus to have deep impact on global economy. wsws.org The US Federal Reserve warned that \"possible spillovers from the effects of the coronavirus in China have presented a new risk to the outlook.\"

Staff (2020-02-08). Government Report Finds Trump\'s Trade War Is Harmful to Americans\' Incomes. truthout.org President Donald Trump\'s trade war is projected to reduce the average family\'s real income by $1,277, according to a new report from the The CBO, a nonpartisan congressional research arm, projected that the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration and retaliatory tariffs imposed by countries like China will reduce economic growth while increasing prices to consumers. | \"Tariffs are expected to reduce the l…

Labor Video Project (2020-02-08). The 2019 China Wuhan Coronavirus & (BSL-4) Biotech Warfare Labs with Dr. Francis Boyle. indybay.org Dr. Frances Boyle talks about the Wuhan Coronavirus and how in his view it is a genetically engineered bioweapon that was accidentally released from the Wuhan Biosafety (BSL-4) laboratory.

WSWS (2020-02-08). Sri Lankan union leader Saman Ratnapriya paid off with a parliamentary position. wsws.org The United National Party has rewarded Ratnapriya for his treacherous service to the previous Wickremesinghe government, and his more than 20-year defence of capitalist rule in Sri Lanka.

Monica Stanton (2020-02-08). In the face of big environmental challenges, our everyday actions are part of the solution. nationofchange.org David Wallace-Wells\'s new book on climate change offers a powerful warning, but misses the mark on the importance of small, individual efforts.

WSWS (2020-02-08). Australian coronavirus travel ban blocks thousands of Chinese students. wsws.org The blanket ban by the Morrison government affects any foreign national trying to enter Australia from mainland China.

IMEMC News (2020-02-08). Soldiers Injure Many Palestinians During Funeral Procession Of Slain Officer In Qalqilia. imemc.org Israeli soldiers attacked, Friday, dozens of Palestinians at the northern entrance of Azzoun town, east of the northern West Bank city of Qalqilia, during the funeral procession of a Palestinian Lieutenant, identified as Tareq Badwan, 24, who was shot dead by Israeli army fire at a police headquarters in Jenin, …

IMEMC News (2020-02-08). Israeli Soldiers Injure Five Palestinians Near Jenin. imemc.org Israeli soldiers shot, Friday, five young Palestinian men and caused many to suffer the effects of teargas inhalation, in the al-\'Arqa village, southwest of Jenin, in northern West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Jenin said the soldiers shot five young men with rubber-coated steel bullets, in their …

RT (2020-02-07). Climate protesters take a literal TROJAN HORSE to British Museum (PHOTOS, VIDEOS). rt.com Climate activists have wheeled a real-life Trojan Horse into the courtyard outside the British Museum to protest oil and gas giant British Petroleum\'s (BP) sponsorship of a new exhibition about ancient Troy. | The activist theater group \'BP or Not BP\' built a replica of the Trojan Horse, built from reclaimed timber and discarded rope, which can seat 10 people. |

RT (2020-02-07). Chinese scientists say pangolins might be missing link in coronavirus transmission. rt.com Chinese researchers now believe that the deadly coronavirus may have spread from bats to humans through the illegal sale and trafficking of pangolins, scaly mammals widely used in Eastern medicine. | \"This latest discovery will be of great significance for the prevention and control of the origin (of the virus),\" South China Agricultural University, which led the new research, said in a statement on its website. | Pangolins are among Asia\'s most-trafficked animals, with an estimated one million of the armored creatures snatched from Asian and African forests in the past decade despite specific protections unde…

Joel Wendland-Liu (2020-02-07). Trump sinks to racist panic as China mobilizes against disease. peoplesworld.org Even though a tiny number of cases of coronavirus have surfaced in the U.S., widespread panic about the disease has surfaced in the form of hostility and racism toward Chinese people and even people who seem to be of Asian descent who are not Chinese. Many Americans, often self-identified as fans of Trump and living …

RT (2020-02-07). Xi says China \'confident & capable\' of beating coronavirus outbreak in phone call with Trump. rt.com China has taken aggressive measures to combat a lethal viral outbreak sweeping the country, enacting the most comprehensive and strict efforts to contain the illness, President Xi Jingping told his American counterpart in a phone call. | Having declared a \"people\'s war\" on the fast-spreading coronavirus, Xi told President Donald Trump that China was \"fully confident and capable\" of overcoming the epidemic and was already seeing positive results, adding that Beijing\'s long term economic prospects would not change. | Trump responded by expressing confidence in Beijing\'s \"strength and resilience\" in confronting t…

Vijay Prashad (2020-02-07). This is the time for solidarity, not stigma. mronline.org In December 2019, several people began to develop infections in Wuhan (People\'s Republic of China); early signs indicated that the virus had emerged out of the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, but there is no certainty about that verdict. |

C.J. Atkins (2020-02-07). Chinese national describes life inside the coronavirus quarantine zone. peoplesworld.org SINGAPORE—It\'s been more than two weeks since authorities in the city of Wuhan quarantined 11 million people in an attempt to contain the coronavirus outbreak spreading across China and around the world. Except for a few foreign nationals whose governments have ferried them out on charter flights, the capital of epidemic-hit Hubei province remains, essentially, …

RT (2020-02-07). Largest city in Russia\'s Far East to introduce \'mask regime\' from Monday as coronavirus fears spread. rt.com Located only 20km (12.4 miles) from China and straddling the banks of the shared Amur River, Khabarovsk in Russia\'s Far East is especially vulnerable to the new coronavirus sweeping its southern neighbor. | So far, however, the city of over 600,000 people has not reported any infections. Nevertheless, officials are not taking any chances. From Monday, a compulsory \"mask regime\" will be introduced, as a precautionary measure. The move follows the closure of border crossings last week. | The rule will apply to almost every category of worker who deals with the public including teachers, doctors, retail and bank…

RT (2020-02-07). Trump says Xi\'s \'sharp\' leadership will defeat coronavirus in U-turn on harsh anti-China rhetoric. rt.com Donald Trump says China will defeat the deadly coronavirus, thanks to its great discipline and Xi Jinping\'s strong leadership, as the US president\'s tone on Beijing softens following the recent signing of a new trade deal. | The two leaders discussed the outbreak of the virus, which has claimed 640 lives in China, during a phone call on Friday. | That provided the perfect grounds for an attack on Beijing, but Trump, who earlier blasted China for currency manipulation, intellectual property theft, and election meddling, was this time reluctant to take advantage of the dire health crisis in order to attack Beiji…

Seiji Yamada (2020-02-07). Neoliberalism and the Coronavirus. counterpunch.org In This Changes Everything, Naomi Klein notes that the TV sets owned by Americans were manufactured in China with the energy input from coal-burning. Those carbon emissions are logged in China\'s ledger. The trucking to bring the TV to your town\'s big box outlet is logged in the U.S.\'s ledger. However, the transoceanic shipping that

Staff (2020-02-07). Laurie Garrett: World Can\'t Let Racist Attitudes Impact Handling of Coronavirus Outbreak. democracynow.org The Chinese doctor who warned the government about a possible coronavirus outbreak has died after contracting the virus while working at Wuhan Central Hospital. Thirty-four-year-old ophthalmologist Li Wenliang warned his fellow medical workers about coronavirus on December 30. He was then investigated by police and accused of \"making false comments.\" His death has sparked a wave of anger and outrage in China, where the hashtag \"We want freedom of speech\" went viral on Chinese social media site Weibo this week. The death toll from the coronavirus has now topped 630 people in China, with more than 31,000 confirmed…

RT (2020-02-07). Russia\'s largest oil company\'s shares fall after reports of new US sanctions. rt.com Rosneft stock slumped nearly five percent during Friday trading on the Moscow Stock Exchange after reports claimed that the US wants to slap the Russian oil giant with new sanctions over its cooperation with Venezuela. | As of 2: 49pm Moscow time (11: 49am GMT) Rosneft shares were trading at 453.5 rubles (US$7.1) per share, down 4.65 percent from the previous session. | Read more | | The drop came less than two days after the Trump administration announced that it w…

RT (2020-02-07). Latin America free to make own policy choices — Russia's FM Lavrov on US threats & \'humiliating\' Monroe Doctrine. rt.com Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hit back at threats from Washington over Moscow\'s support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, insisting Caracas and its neighbors deserve the option not to be US vassal states. | \"I have heard the threats from Washington about punishing all those who work with Venezuela,\" Lavrov confirmed during a press conference in Mexico City on Thursday. \"But we are used to that. We are used to American officials saying that yes, Washington is still true to the Monroe Doctrine.\" | Russia was merely offering Venezuela and its neighbors in the region a second option, beyond the sta…

Victor Grossman (2020-02-07). A Fascist Coup Attempt in Germany. counterpunch.org While millions this week stared at Iowa and Washington with worried amazement, confusion or anger, Germany, too, had its own messy confusion — which turned into a frightening alarm signal! For the very first time, a state government — in Thuringia — was able to achieve rule with the support of the far, far right

Max Blumenthal (2020-02-07). Acronym group that sabotaged Iowa caucus birthed by billionaire who funded Alabama disinformation campaign. mronline.org Silicon Valley billionaire Reid Hoffman funded the creation of ACRONYM, the group that sabotaged the Iowa caucus results, after bankrolling voter manipulation campaigns including the notorious online \"false flag operation\" in Alabama\'s 2017 senate race. |

John Bachtell (2020-02-07). Dems must focus on removing Trump from the White House. peoplesworld.org DES MOINES, Iowa — Confusion surrounding the Iowa Caucus results continued Feb. 6 after Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez called for a re-canvass of votes to ensure their full integrity. The chaos is likely the final nail in the coffin of the Iowa caucus, long criticized as undemocratic and unrepresentative of Democratic base voters. …

Victor Grossman (2020-02-07). In Thuringia, Germany, a fascist coup. peoplesworld.org BERLIN — While millions this week stared at Iowa and Washington with worried amazement, confusion or anger, Germany, too, had its own messy confusion — which turned into a frightening alarm signal! For the very first time, a state government — in Thuringia — was able to achieve rule with the support of the far, …

Ipek S. Burnett (2020-02-07). Shadow Coding: the Iowa Caucus and Carl Jung. counterpunch.org Political observers, media commentators, politicians, citizens. Everybody seemed to have choice words for the 2020 Iowa caucus: Disaster. Meltdown. Debacle. The Iowa Democratic Party had commissioned a new mobile app, a data synchronization platform, which was supposed to report the voting counts. As we know, what ensued were delays, inconsistencies, chaos, and confusion. Frustrated presidential candidates,

Vijay Prashad (2020-02-07). Libya is Being Torn Apart By Outsiders. counterpunch.org With the United States walking out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—more commonly known as the Iran accord—we all enter into a heightened zone of danger. Trump is threatening a war on Iran through his statements and tweets, and now by his actions, assassinating serving Iranian and Iraqi generals on Iraqi soil. Assassinations

Agha Hussain (2020-02-07). Syria: With an Eye on Energy Dominance, Russia is Aligning with Israel Against Iran. mintpressnews.com In the second of a three-part series, Agha Hussein investigates Russia\'s financial motivation for teaming up with Israel and wealthy Gulf Arab states to curb Iran\'s influence in post-war Syria.

Juan Lopez (2020-02-07). Civil Rights Movement memories: Marching from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. peoplesworld.org The flight to Atlanta was bumpy. I was already apprehensive. I had imagined being on the receiving end of a two-by-four swung wildly by a Southern gentleman of the White Citizens Council. And then, when the plane suddenly plunged downward in what felt like a nosedive, I feared I would soon meet my fate, denying …

Marcy Winograd (2020-02-07). Radical radio station KPFK host Lila Garrett, 94, passes. peoplesworld.org LOS ANGELES—It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing on Feb. 1 of one of my best friends, KPFK host and Emmy-award winning writer Lila Garrett, always a pistol, yet married to the peace movement and forever committed to progressive values. I said my goodbyes to Lila a little over a week …

RT (2020-02-07). Four Chinese passengers hospitalized in New Jersey after cruise ship screened for coronavirus. rt.com Four Chinese travelers on a cruise ship that docked at a port not far from New York City have been hospitalized after being screened for coronavirus. The US already has twelve confirmed coronavirus cases. | The tourists were among two dozen Chinese nationals who received a medical examination after the Royal Caribbean\'s Anthem of the Seas, which set sail for the Caribbean on January 27, returned to the New Jersey port. Four passengers on the cruise ship were found to have fevers and were whisked away to University Hospital in Newark, which has negative-pressure isolation rooms. At least two of the four were ta…

RT (2020-02-07). Airport employee IN BEAR COSTUME scares loitering langurs off airfield in India (VIDEO). rt.com An Indian airport has devised a highly creative — and reportedly effective — method to keep vexatious langurs off their runway: have an employee dress up as a bear and scare them off. | An extremely busy international airport in India\'s western Ahmedabad city deployed the unorthodox tactic after struggling to prevent langurs from swarming the grounds of the air hub — and creating a potential safety hazard for passengers. The idea was reportedly hatched after the airport\'s management learned that langurs are terrified of bears. The airport already has a team dedicated to chasing off birds and w…

Staff (2020-02-07). Risk of Nuclear War Rises as U.S. Deploys a New Nuclear Weapon for the First Time Since the Cold War. democracynow.org The Federation of American Scientists revealed in late January that the U.S. Navy had deployed for the first time a submarine armed with a low-yield Trident nuclear warhead. The USS Tennessee deployed from Kings Bay Submarine Base in Georgia in late 2019. The W76-2 warhead, which is facing criticism at home and abroad, is estimated to have about a third of the explosive power of the atomic bomb the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) called the news \"an alarming development that heightens the risk of nuclear war.\" We\'re joined by William Arkin, longtime reporter…

RT (2020-02-07). Macron warns that European nations \'cannot remain spectators\' in the face of a potential nuclear arms race. rt.com French President Emmanuel Macron has warned of a looming arms race and called for new controls to limit the proliferation of conventional and nuclear weapons. | The French leader, speaking in Paris on Friday, argued that the European Union faces new security challenges following Britain\'s exit from the bloc. | \"Europeans must realize collectively that in the absence of a legal framework, they could rapidly face a new race for conventional weapons, even nuclear weapons, on their own soil,\" Macron said. He stressed that Europeans \"cannot remain spectators\" in the face of such threats and urged leaders to create…

RT (2020-02-07). Libyan warring sides reconvene to discuss ceasefire agreement — UN envoy. rt.com The UN\'s special representative for Libya has said the country\'s warring sides are working to turn a provisional ceasefire into a formal agreement as they emerged from four days of talks. Ghassan Salame, head of the United Nations support mission in Libya, said rival military leaders are negotiating the remaining sticking points in a ceasefire deal. | Salame said delegates will reconvene Friday to discuss the latest draft, AP reports. That agreement must then be sent back to their respective leaders for approval. | The return of internally displaced people, the disarmament of armed groups, ways to monitor a tr…

Staff (2020-02-07). Syrian Advance Sends Hundreds of Thousands Fleeing in Idlib. truthdig.com BEIRUT — Turkey on Friday sent more troops and tanks to bolster its military presence in northwestern Syria, where President Bashar Assad\'s forces have been advancing in a devastating, Russian-backed offensive that has sparked a massive wave of people fleeing in wet and blustery winter weather. | Syria\'s Idlib region near the border with Turkey is the last rebel-held bastion in the war-ravaged country. The push by Assad\'s forces into towns and villages in the province over the past months has uprooted more than a half-million people who fled the advancing troops. Many of them already have been displaced sev…

RT (2020-02-07). \'Of course we are not alone\': Russian scientist says we\'re using wrong tools to hunt for aliens. rt.com A Russian scientist believes that the only way we can finally discover extraterrestrial life is for experts and researchers from different branches to work together. | Alexander Panov, a leading researcher at Moscow State University\'s Research Institute of Nuclear Physics, has spent many years working on the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) at the Scientific Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Radio Astronomy. | In a recent

RT (2020-02-07). \'Protect protesters,\' Iraq\'s top cleric tells security forces. rt.com Iraq\'s most powerful Shiite cleric has called for security forces to protect anti-government protesters. | Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani\'s words came two days after at least eight protesters were killed in the holy southern city of Najaf. They died when followers of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed a protest site and fired live rounds, AP said. | Sistani, a revered Shiite religious figure whose opinion holds sway over Iraqis, said security forces were \"indispensable\" and responsible for maintaining law and order. The comments came in his weekly Friday sermon delivered by a representative in Najaf. He di…

RT (2020-02-07). \'Unplanned meetings on Syria convene when UN-recognized terrorists are under attack\' — Russia\'s envoy to Security Council. rt.com As Damascus forces repel attacks in terrorist-held Idlib, emergency Security Council sessions are called along a familiar pattern, Russia\'s UN envoy said. | As \"violence only to terrorize and subdue\" broke out in Idlib, the US, France and Britain convened an impromptu UN Security Council meeting on Thursday. The American representative slammed what she called an \"unjustified military offensive\" launched by Syrian government forces to defeat armed radicals led by Syria\'s main al-Qaeda faction HTS — still better known as the al-Nusra Front despite multiple rebrandings. | Moscow\'s envoy to the international…

RT (2020-02-07). Israeli airstrikes on Damascus suburbs put at risk civilian flight with 172 passengers on board — Russian MoD. rt.com Israeli strikes on Damascus suburbs put a civilian aircraft in serious danger and forced it to divert to Russia\'s Khmeimim airbase as the Syrian air defense was activated to repel the attack, the Russian military said. | An Airbus A320 flying from Tehran to the Syrian capital was forced to make an emergency landing following an Israeli missile attack, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It added that using civilian aircraft as a \"shield\" is \"commonplace\" for Israeli Air Force pilots. | The aircraft was about to land at Damascus International Airport, but was unable do so as the Syrian air defense systems engage…

RT (2020-02-07). OPCW responds to Douma leaks… by arguing whistleblowers are not credible & calling for tighter internal security measures. rt.com The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has said in a report that whistleblowers who raised concerns about the group\'s Douma probe are not credible, and called for new measures to prevent further leaks. | The international chemical weapons watchdog released its \'Independent Investigation into Possible Breaches of Confidentiality Report\' on Thursday, in response to leaks from two former OPCW inspectors which put in question the organization\'s findings regarding an alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria in April 2018. | The OPCW claimed that the two individuals, identified as Ins…

RT (2020-02-07). Trump says Democrats should \'expunge\' his impeachment. rt.com Still in a celebratory mood after his acquittal in the Senate, US President Donald Trump said Democrats should \'expunge\' his impeachment, as their accusations against him were false. | \"That\'s a very good question,\" Trump said when asked by a journalist whether the Democrats should \"expunge\" his impeachment in the House. | The president expressed confidence that \"they should, because it was a hoax; it was a total political hoax.\" | He ripped into his Democratic opponents, saying that \"they\'ve gone totally crazy\" and claiming they suffer from a \"bad case\" of \"Trump derangement syndrome.\" | There\'s a lot of evil…

Roger Harris (2020-02-07). Trump, Racism, and Fascism — More than Just Personality Disorders. counterpunch.org After the supposedly post-racial presidency of Barack Obama, what passes for the liberal punditry discovered racism had arisen in the homeland. They never felt so good feeling bad about racism, denouncing what they identified as its primal cause — Mr. Trump, who was sullying that \"shining example\" of the United States of America. Obscured were

Anthony DiMaggio (2020-02-07). The Economy Not Worth Defending: A Response to Trump\'s State of the Union. counterpunch.org This president\'s delusions of grandeur have few limits, as witnessed by the headlines across the nation following his state of the union. One New York Times headline read: \"Trump Claims End of \'American Decline.\" CNN reported that \"Trump\'s economic focus is a savvy one from a political perspective\" when \"poll after poll shows that a majority of Americans approve of how he has handled the economy.\"

David Rosen (2020-02-07). Targeting Gender Nonconforming Youth. counterpunch.org The U.S. has been a battlefield over cultural values for nearly 50 years. In states throughout the country, the religious right — together with local Republicans — have built an influential political movement to impose their moral values. Donald Trump\'s appointment of two conservatives to the Supreme Court has emboldened the religious right to press

Ramzy Baroud (2020-02-07). Crisis and Opportunity: The \'Deal of the Century\' Challenge for Palestinians. counterpunch.org After several postponements, US President, Donald Trump, has finally revealed the details of his Middle East plan, dubbed \'Deal of the Century\', in a press conference in Washington on January 28. Standing triumphantly beside Trump, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, must have surely understood that the timing of the announcement, only a few weeks before

T.J. Coles (2020-02-07). Enemies of Democracy: Neoliberalism and Authoritarian Finance. counterpunch.org Democracy is supposed to mean rule by people. In the West, it means rule by upper classes via periodic representational charades in which candidates represent corporate interests and occasionally throw crumbs to the public to pre-empt full-scale revolution. But now even establishment institutions are worried about the implications of the lack of genuine democracy in

RT (2020-02-07). Russia to drop dual citizenship restriction, make acquiring passport easier with \'revolutionary\' new bill — Kommersant. rt.com Have you always fancied a Russian passport, but had doubts about relinquishing your current citizenship? Well, you may be in luck under new proposals apparently being drafted in Moscow. | Newspaper Kommersant, citing sources in a working group to reform state migration, says the Kremlin is poised to ditch its long-standing restrictions on dual citizenship. | The primary target is people from what Moscow considers \"fraternal states,\" such as Belarus, Ukraine, and other former Soviet republics — many of which are mired in poverty. Russia, facing its own demographic issues, sees them as a convenient source o…

RT (2020-02-07). \'Take Hitler & Napoleon, who failed to conquer Russia\': Imran Khan invokes world history to fend off Modi\'s \'bite the dust\' remark. rt.com Pakistani premier Imran Khan has rebuffed his Indian counterpart\'s claims that it would take 10 days at most to take down Pakistan, citing the past failures of French general Napoleon Bonaparte and Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. | \"Narendra Modi, you need to brush up on your history. It seems your degree was fake,\" Imran Khan Leaders who have shown such pride have always been defeated in the past … [take]…

RT (2020-02-07). Well known Russian journalist Milashina & lawyer Dubrovina brutally attacked in Chechnya. rt.com Gruesome details have emerged of an assault on a Russian journalist and her lawyer colleague after they arrived in Chechnya ahead of the high-profile local trial of a local activist. | Elena Milashina claims that she was attacked on Thursday evening, along with her companion Marina Dubrovina, in the local capital Grozny. According to Milashina\'s Facebook page, they were beaten by a large group of people inside the Kontinent Hotel, where they were was staying. | The group, numbering at least 15 members, approached the pair and, after a short verbal confrontation, brutally beat them for about a quarter of an hou…

RT (2020-02-07). Israeli soldiers shoot dead Palestinian teen in West Bank clashes — officials. rt.com Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian youth during clashes in the West Bank near Tulkarm on Friday, Haaretz reported, citing officials in the Palestinian Authority. Violent incidents between Palestinians and Israelis in the West Bank continue to escalate in the aftermath of Washington\'s unveiling of its plan for Mideast peace. | The youth was killed during confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli forces in the village of Qaffin, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. He was evacuated to the hospital, it added, where he died from his wounds. | Israeli police also said two border policewom…

WSWS (2020-02-07). Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shoots unarmed man in the face in New York City. wsws.org Eric Diaz-Cruz was shot as he sought to stop his mother\'s boyfriend from being detained by ICE early Thursday morning.

Johanna Ross (2020-02-07). Assange\'s Case Represents \'Failure of Western Law\' — Says UN\'s Nils Melzer. globalresearch.ca An interview was recently given by UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, to

WSWS (2020-02-07). Interview with international model Andreja Pejic: \"I think standing behind Assange and Manning is where we should all be\" wsws.org The WSWS spoke with Andreja Pejic about the campaign to free Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning and broader political issues.

Rick Sterling (2020-02-07). Pilger, Burchett and Assange: Three Extraordinary Australian Journalists That Spoke Truth to Power. mintpressnews.com Australia, writes Rick Sterling, should be proud of its three native sons that were willing to speak truth to power no matter the consequences.

Ben Norton (2020-02-07). Right-wing Nicaraguan opposition boasts of support from US and EU in campaign to oust Sandinista gov\'t. thegrayzone.com The US embassy and European Union are meeting with right-wing Nicaraguan opposition leaders and pressuring them to unite against elected…

Aaron Maté (2020-02-07). Iowa debacle fueled by anti-Bernie billionaires, Russiagate hucksters, failed DNC elites. thegrayzone.com Max Blumenthal breaks down the shadowy network of billionaires, Democratic elites, and Russiagate profiteers behind the Shadow app that ruined…

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2020-02-07). Who is Behind \"Fake News\"? Mainstream Media Use Fake Videos and Images. globalresearch.ca The mainstream corporate media is desperate. They want to suppress independent and alternative online media, which they categorize as \"fake news\". Readers on social media are warned not to go onto certain sites. Our analysis confirms that the mainstream media are routinely involved in distorting the facts and turning realities upside down.

teleSUR (2020-02-07). Bolivia\'s Coup-Born Regime Arrests Socialist Lawmaker Torrico. telesurenglish.net Bolivia\'s Special Force for the Fight Against Crime (FELCC) Thursday arrested Movement for Socialism (MAS) lawmaker Gustavo Torrico in La Paz as he was leaving home to work. | RELATED: | The coup-born regime led by Jeanine Añez accuses Torrico of sedition and terrorism. This has caused outrage among human rights defenders who have been denouncing that the Bolivian government persecutes social activists who dissent. | \"This is totally illegal. I appeared…