2019-10-02: News Headlines

Staff (2019-10-02). Democrats: Trump Incites Violence Against Whistleblower. truthdig.com WASHINGTON — Accusing President Donald Trump of "an incitement to violence," House Democratic leaders bluntly warned Trump and his administration Wednesday not to intimidate potential witnesses in their impeachment inquiry. They said they were readying a subpoena demanding documents related to the president's dealings with Ukraine | House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump may not "recognize how dangerous his statements are" against a whistleblower who exposed a July phone call that Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. On the call, Trump pressed for an investigation of Democratic political r…

The Canary (2019-10-02). Hurricane Lorenzo lashes Azores Islands as it heads towards Ireland and UK. thecanary.co Hurricane Lorenzo lashed the mid-Atlantic Azores Islands with heavy rain, powerful winds and high waves, though initial reports said it caused only minor damage.The Azores Civil Protection Agency said the category two hurricane felled trees and power lines as it passed just west of the Portuguese island chain.Hurricanes the size of Lorenzo are rare so far north and east in the Atlantic basin.Residents board up a door in preparation for the arrival of Lorenzo (Joao Henriques/AP)Lorenzo is producing huge swells across the North Atlantic as it moves north east toward Ireland and the United Kingdom and weakens to cat…

RT (2019-10-02). 'Pssst… Don't tell anyone, but we surely will': Putin pokes fun at question of whether Russia plans to meddle in 2020 US election. rt.com It seems Vladimir Putin has become so tired of Russian meddling claims that he 'secretly' told an NBC journalist that Moscow will surely influence the 2020 US vote. The confession was made in front of a laughing audience though. | Autumn of 2020 — the time when the US will choose their president — is nearing and there is no dying down of Russiagate, it seems. So NBC's Keir Simmons, who came to Moscow to moderate the Energy Week forum, tried to get some information on the everlasting issue. | "Is Russia as [special prosecutor] Robert Mueller alleged attempting to influence the 2020 election in the US?

Thomas Klikauer — Kathleen Webb Tunney (2019-10-02). Eastern Germans Voting Nazism, Again! counterpunch.org In September 2019, two Eastern German states —Brandenburg and Saxony— held elections. Germany's right-wing extremist party, the AfD, tripled its previous result in Saxony (from 9.7% to 27.5%) and doubled its earlier outcome in Brandenburg (from 12.2% to 23.5%). The next state election is scheduled for Thuringia (27th October 2019) — home of AfD-Fàºhrer Bjà∂rn More

WSWS (2019-10-02). Assange judge blocks extradition to Azerbaijan of 'McMafia' wife. wsws.org Arbuthnot ruled against the extradition of Zamira Hajiyeva, finding there was "a real risk" she would suffer a "flagrant denial of justice".

teleSUR (2019-10-02). Greece: 265 Migrants Arrive in Lesbos in Less Than 24 hours. telesurenglish.net Over the last 24 hours, seven humanitarian rescue vessels arrived in Lesbos, a Greek island that received 265 migrants who were rescued from emergency situations in the Mediterranean Sea. | RELATED: | Greece to Deport 10,000 Asylum-Seekers, Relocate Thousands by 2020 | "We waited all night until we boarded the ship. We had nothing to eat, it was so cold," one of the migrants said. | "It was a very difficult trip. We were in the middle of nowhere, we had no food or water," an…

Stephen Lendman (2019-10-02). Internally Displaced Syrian Refugees Tormented by US Forces. globalresearch.ca Tens of thousands of Syrian refugees are trapped in northern and southern camps controlled by the US and its jihadist foot soldiers. | On October 1, Russian and Syrian Joint Coordination Committees on the Repatriation of Syrian Refugees said US forces, …

Stephen Lendman (2019-10-02). Yemeni Houthis Defeating Paper Tiger Saudis. globalresearch.ca According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Saudi Arabia ranks third in global military spending after the US and China — allocating an estimated $65.5 billion in 2018. | The US, Britain and France are its main weapons, munitions, …

Ben Freeman , William Hartung (2019-10-02). Trump and Money Are Shielding Saudi Arabia From Accountability for Khashoggi's Killing. commondreams.org Protesters rally outside the Saudi Arabia Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, where journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed Oct. 2, 2018. (Photo: Ozan Kose / AFP/Getty Images) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/gettyy.jpeg

Robert Reich (2019-10-02). The real lesson of Ukraine-gate: Trump will do anything to win in 2020. nationofchange.org Amid the impeachment furor, don't lose sight of the renewed importance of protecting the integrity of the 2020 election. The difference between Richard Nixon's abuse of power (trying to get dirt on political opponents to help with his 1972 reelection, and then covering it up) and Donald Trump's abuse (trying to get Ukraine's president to …

Gary Leupp (2019-10-02). Impeachment Proceedings and the Democrats' Enduring Russophobia. counterpunch.org The president pressured the leader of Ukraine to investigate Hunter Biden's business activities in the country in exchange for the release of $390 million in U.S. aid including $ 250 in military aid. OK, this is now old news. Most people are disturbed by Trump's obvious intention to collude with foreigners to influence the next More

teleSUR (2019-10-02). Ex-Trump Officials Face Questioning Amid Impeachment Probe. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump has created many enemies during his tenure in office, but perhaps the biggest threat to his administration is coming from several former staff members that are now agreeing to testify against him. | RELATED: | US House of Representatives Intensifies Impeachment Probe | According to a latest report from Capitol Hill, two former officials who were engaged in the Trump administration's dealings with Ukraine will meet with U.S. congressional committees starti…

Eric Zuesse (2019-10-02). History: Russian Government Condemn's European Parliament's Blaming Stalin as Having Started World War II. globalresearch.ca On October 1st, Russia's Tass news agency reported that the Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin condemned the European Parliament for having blamed Stalin along with Hitler as having started World War II. He said, | "The recent …

South Front (2019-10-02). New 'Red' Bloc: Russia -China Alliance. globalresearch.ca On October 1, China celebrated the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China. This analysis is designed to provide a broader perspective to the Chinese-Russian military cooperation at the moment. | *** | For starters, one should note …

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts (2019-10-02). Where Are the Indictments of those Implicated in the Coup Attempt Against Trump? globalresearch.ca In the 1970s Irving Kristol declared Republicans to be the "stupid party." How correct he has proven to be. Russiagate and now this latest coup attempt to overthrow the elected president of the United States are acts of sedition. There …

Rajan Menon (2019-10-02). Hypersonic weapons and national (in)security. nationofchange.org Hypersonic weapons close in on their targets at a minimum speed of Mach 5, five times the speed of sound or 3,836.4 miles an hour. They are among the latest entrants in an arms competition that has embroiled the United States for generations, first with the Soviet Union, today with China and Russia. Pentagon officials …

Ellen Brown (2019-10-02). The disaster of negative of interest rates. nationofchange.org President Trump wants negative interest rates, but they would be disastrous for the U.S. economy, and his objectives can be better achieved by other means. The dollar strengthened against the euro in August, merely in anticipation of the European Central Bank slashing its key interest rate further into negative territory. Investors were fleeing into the …

Ellen Brown (2019-10-02). The Disaster of Negative Interest Rates. counterpunch.org The dollar strengthened against the euro in August, merely in anticipation of the European Central Bank slashing its key interest rate further into negative territory. Investors were fleeing into the dollar, prompting President Trump to tweet on Aug. 30: The Euro is dropping against the Dollar "like crazy," giving them a big export and manufacturing More

Ivan Daraktchiev (2019-10-02). The History of World War II: The War Started in October 1938. globalresearch.ca Historians, media pundits and politicians have managed to postulate, and impose it into the history annals, encyclopedias and school books that the Second World War was started in September 1939 by Nazi Germany's attack[1] and prompt defeat[2] of Poland. | This …

Ruth Milka (2019-10-02). Ireland to plant 440 million trees to combat climate change. nationofchange.org "The climate action plan commits to delivering an expansion of forestry planting and soil management to ensure that carbon abatement from land-use is delivered over the period 2021 to 2030 and in the years beyond."

teleSUR (2019-10-02). Khashoggi Vigil Held in Istanbul to Mark One Year of His Murder. telesurenglish.net A vigil for murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been organized in Istanbul, Turkey, a year after he was killed in the Saudi Arabia consulate. | RELATED: | Saudi Crown Prince Takes Responsibility for Khashoggi Murder | Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and critic of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, was murdered on October 2 at its…

Julia Conley, staff writer (2019-10-02). 'In Any Normal World He Would Have to Go': Pompeo Admits Being on Trump Ukraine Call. commondreams.org As at least three State Department officials prepared to speak with House committees regarding the Trump administration's relations with Ukraine and the phone call at the center of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo admitted Wednesday that he did in fact participate in the call. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/gettyimages-11336864281.jpg

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2019-10-02). 'Where Are the Stenographer Notes?': Questions Percolate After Trump Says White House Released 'Word for Word' Transcript. commondreams.org The White House said the document showing the conversation between Trump and Ukraine's president doesn't call it a transcript. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump-transcript-word-word.jpg

Staff (2019-10-02). Boris Johnson: U.K. Offering Brexit 'Compromise' to EU. truthdig.com MANCHESTER, England — The U.K. offered the European Union a proposed Brexit deal on Wednesday that it said represents a compromise for both sides, as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the bloc to hold "rapid negotiations towards a solution" after years of wrangling. | In a letter to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Johnson said that not reaching a deal by the U.K.'s scheduled Oct. 31 departure date would be "a failure of statecraft for which we would all be responsible." | The proposals focus on maintaining an open border between the U.K.'s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland […

The Canary (2019-10-02). Johnson's Brexit plan: Key questions about the backstop replacement blueprint. thecanary.co Prime minister Boris Johnson is setting out his Brexit plan, which he describes as a "fair and reasonable compromise" that all sides can agree on.But reaching an agreement will be far from straightforward — and may yet prove impossible.— What are the issues which need to be resolved? | The problem remains the backstop — the safety net intended to guarantee there is no return of a hard border on the island of Ireland.Under the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by Theresa May, if there is no long-term trade agreement in place that ensures an open border, the UK would remain closely tied to EU rules and…

Staff (2019-10-02). Headlines for October 2, 2019. democracynow.org Report: Trump Pushed for Shooting Migrants and Placing Alligators & Snakes Along Border, Trump Claims Impeachment Inquiry Is "Coup" as Pompeo Blocks Officials from Testifying, Sen. Grassley Breaks from Trump to Support Protection of Whistleblower, In "Victory for Black People in America," Dallas Officer Convicted of Murdering Black Man Inside His Own Home, Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Georgia Abortion Law, U.S.-N. Korea Talks to Resume as Pyongyang Carries Out New Missile Test, Hong Kong Protesters Stage Sit-in Outside School of Student Shot by Police, Pretrial Hearings Begin in Netanyahu Corruption Case, Per…

John Catalinotto (2019-10-01). Biden's time in Ukraine. workers.org That Joe Biden's interaction with Ukrainian leaders has become a central question in the attempt to impeach the well-hated Donald Trump should mislead no one about the former vice president's virtues. Biden is a faithful servant of U.S. imperialism, and nowhere was that more clear than with his role intervening . . . | Continue reading Biden's time in Ukraine at Workers.org

Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers (2019-10-01). "Ukrainegate" Teaches Us More about Ourselves Than Trump or Biden. dissidentvoice.org Anti-Imperialism protest in the Phillippines. Photo: Carlo Manalansan by Bulatlat 'Ukrainegate' has opened the floodgates of impeachment in Washington, DC. President Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky provided such an opportunity that Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who resisted pressure for impeachment, is now on board along with a majority of the party. Democrats are …

Eds. (2019-10-01). European Parliament's anti-communist resolution draws widespread criticism. mronline.org Communists and other progressives have accused the EU leadership of targeting the Soviet Union while concealing the role of countries such as Spain and Italy in the spread of Nazism and fascism. | Source

Janine Jackson (2019-10-01). 'Poverty Is Not Just a Measure of How Much Cabbage and Potatoes You Need to Live On' – CounterSpin interview with Frances Fox Piven about poverty and Occupy Wall Street. fair.org The September 27, 2019, episode of CounterSpin rebroadcast a portion of an interview Janine Jackson conducted with Frances Fox Piven about poverty and Occupy Wall Street, originally aired November 11, 2011. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…

RT (2019-10-01). NothingGate? Australian PM undercuts MSM narrative on Trump 'pressure' in phone call. rt.com US President Donald Trump has again come under a media barrage after reports that he "pressed" Australia's prime minister to assist in an investigation into the origins of Russiagate, which Canberra disputes. | In a report on Monday, the New York Times said the president "pushed" Austrialian Prime Minister Scott Morrison into cooperating with a Department of Justice (DOJ) probe tasked with looking into the origins of the 'Russiagate' investigation. While the Times itself acknowledges there was nothing "illegal [or] untoward" about the president's request, the story posits similarities to Trump's July call with…

T.P. Wilkinson (2019-10-01). Rotation or Revolution. dissidentvoice.org Teatro Nacional de Sà£o Joà£o, Porto In this year 45 since the overthrow of the ancien regime of Portugal, I went to the last performance of Nuno Cardoso's staging of Georg Bàºchner's Dantons Tod (A Morte de Danton).1 Since I have heard that this play has been included in the season of other stages beyond …

WSWS (2019-10-01). Protests after death in fire at Greece's Moria concentration camp. wsws.org Moria is a hellhole established by the 2015-2019 pseudo-left Syriza government, where refugees and asylum seekers are held pending deportation.

United Nations (2019-10-01). Tuesday's Daily Brief: Greek island shelter crisis, only 8 per cent of UNGA speakers women, Russian alcohol laws extending lives, Older Persons Day. un.org Tuesday's top stories: Greece urged to fast-track asylum-seekers as 1,000 die on the Mediterranean; just 16 women addressed UN General Assembly; less alcohol means longer lives in Russia; cholera campaign in Sudan; standing up for older people on international day.

WSWS (2019-10-01). Hunter Biden made $850,000 on board of Ukraine gas company. wsws.org Joe Biden's son cashed in on his father's position in the Obama-Biden administration.

Victor Grossman (2019-10-01). Playing the Trump Card in Ukraine. counterpunch.org Yes, we all detest Trump and would be gladdened and relieved to see the last of those orange-yellow tresses now defiling the pure White House! Therefore: impeachment — olé! But does all such current enthusiasm have the same motivation? The reasons stressed by most of the media are Trump's attempts to buy Ukrainian assistance for More

Calvin Trillin (2019-10-01). Trump Says Ukraine Call Was 'Perfectly Fine and Routine'. thenation.com Trump Says Ukraine Call Was 'Perfectly Fine and Routine'

United Nations (2019-10-01). Strict alcohol laws which cut intake more than 40 per cent in Russia, linked to historically high life expectancy. un.org Strict laws put in place by the Russian authorities since 2003 have resulted in a significant drop in alcohol-related deaths nationwide, a report from the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed on Tuesday.

teleSUR (2019-10-01). Russian PM to Visit Cuba To Strengthen Cooperation. telesurenglish.net Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is set to visit Cuba later in the week to meet President Miguel Diaz-Canel and discuss cooperation between the two countries, his government announced Monday. | RELATED: | Russia Denounces US Attempts of Regime Change by Force | Medvedev and Diaz-Canel are expected to discuss a wide range of topics for cooperation in the fields of business, investment, energy, transport, culture and humanitarian issues, among others. | In recent years, Cuba and…

Staff (2019-10-01). To Impeach or Not to Impeach? Chris Hedges & John Bonifaz Debate What Congress Should Do Next. democracynow.org House Democrats subpoenaed President Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani Monday, seeking documents related to his work in Ukraine. Last week, Guliani admitted on television that he had urged the Ukrainian government to investigate Trump's political rival and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. This comes as House Democrats continue to build their case for impeaching the president, following a whistleblower complaint focused on a phone call in which Trump asked the Ukranian president to do him a "favor" investigating the actions of Democrats, including Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Meanwhile, Trump…

Staff (2019-10-01). Headlines for October 1, 2019. democracynow.org House Democrats Subpoena Giuliani over Ukraine Work, Report: Trump Pressured Australia, Italy & U.K. to Help with Political Probes, Trump Renews Threats Against Schiff and Intelligence Whistleblower, Hong Kong Protests Escalate as Beijing Marks 70th Anniversary of People's Republic of China, Four Die in Ongoing Anti-Government Protests in Haiti, Somali Militants Attack U.S. Drone Base & Italian Military Convoy, Nigerian Journalist Omoyele Sowore Pleads Not Guilty, Remains Locked Up, U.S. Blocks Cuban Health Minister from Attending Regional WHO Meeting in D.C., GOP Congressmember Chris Collins Resigns over Insider…

Eds. (2019-10-01). "World at a Crossroads and a System of International Relations for the Future" by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for "Russia in Global Affairs" magazine, September 20, 2019. mronline.org These days, the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly opens up. So does a new international "political season". | Source

Fréa Lockley (2019-10-01). Three interviews and countless lies later, Johnson's hit a new level of dangerous. thecanary.co On 1 October, Boris Johnson took part in three interviews. Each and every one of them was a total car crash. And in each and every one, his lies didn't stop. | Liar liar: | Johnson started off on the BBC Breakfast show. He then moved on to BBC R4's Today show and then to LBC radio…

RT (2019-09-30). Democratic establishment belatedly embraces 'whistleblowers'…but only the 'safe' kind. rt.com MoveOn, a major advocacy group fine-tuned to the needs of Democratic Party, has finally found a whistleblower it can support — the CIA agent whose complaint triggered an impeachment inquiry against US President Donald Trump. | MoveOn, which describes itself as the largest independent progressive advocacy group in the US, hailed the still-anonymous whistleblower for taking on "great personal risk to defend our democracy" by revealing Trump's call with Ukraine that this person only knew of second-hand. | The organization, sponsored by many Democratic donors including billionaire George Soros, implored its…

Janine Jackson (2019-09-30). 'Maybe It's Time We Broaden What We Mean by "Poor"' – CounterSpin interview with Shailly Gupta Barnes on defining and ending poverty. fair.org Janine Jackson interviewed the Kairos Center's Shailly Gupta Barnes about defining and ending poverty for the September 27, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…

RT (2019-09-30). Homeless subway soprano: Incredible LA Metro singer in VIRAL VIDEO turns out to be Russian musician. rt.com The stunning singing star of an LAPD video tweet that went viral has been identified as a Russian woman who moved to the US decades ago, but says she fell on hard times and became homeless after her prized violin was stolen.

Vanessa Beeley (2019-09-30). The White Helmets, Hala Systems and the Grotesque Militarization of "Humanitarianism" in Syria. mintpressnews.com Syria, August 2019 — reports came in that Russian warplanes had destroyed two terrorist-manned early warning radar posts in the Northern Hama countryside, known as the 20th post and the Eagle post. | According to an article published by South Front, these early warning posts are "tasked with monitoring flights of Russian and Syrian warplanes" and warn armed groups throughout Hama and Idlib of incoming airstrikes on their positions. | South Front informed us that "four militants, inc…

Ellen Brown (2019-09-30). The Disaster of Negative of Interest Rates. dissidentvoice.org President Trump wants negative interest rates, but they would be disastrous for the U.S. economy, and his objectives can be better achieved by other means. The dollar strengthened against the euro in August, merely in anticipation of the European Central Bank slashing its key interest rate further into negative territory. Investors were fleeing into the …

Staff (2019-09-30). Whistleblower Edward Snowden on Trump, Obama & How He Ended Up in Russia to Avoid U.S. Extradition. democracynow.org We conclude our interview with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who has just published his memoir titled "Permanent Record." In 2013, after quitting his job at the NSA, Snowden attempted to fly from Hong Kong to Latin America in order to avoid being extradited to the United States. But the U.S. revoked his passport when he stopped through Russia, effectively stranding him there. Snowden has lived as an exile in Moscow ever since. He tells us his story.

Staff (2019-09-30). Edward Snowden: Private Contractors Play Key Role in U.S. Intelligence's "Creeping Authoritarianism" democracynow.org As a whistleblower complaint against President Trump rocks Washington, Democrats begin an impeachment inquiry and Trump threatens "big consequences" for the person who came forward, we continue our conversation with one of the world's most famous whistleblowers: Edward Snowden, now in exile in Russia. Six years ago, he shocked the world when he leaked a trove of secret documents about how the United States had built a massive surveillance apparatus to collect every single phone call, text message and email, and pry into the private lives of every person on Earth. He has just published a memoir titled "Permanent R…