2019-10-07: News Headlines

RT (2019-10-07). Ukrainegate goes to Pentagon: House Democrats subpoena DoD & OMB as part of Trump impeachment probe. rt.com Seeking to impeach President Donald Trump over allegedly using military aid to pressure Ukraine, House Democrats are demanding documents from the Pentagon and the Office of Management and Budget. | Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees of the US House of Representatives have sent out subpoenas, giving the Pentagon and the OMB a week to produce documents related to Trump's decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine. The deadline for compliance is October 15. | Trump "jeopardized national security by pressing Ukraine to interfere with our 2020 election and by withholding military assistance prov…

The Canary (2019-10-07). Climate protesters block roads in London and across Europe to demand urgent action. thecanary.co Extinction Rebellion activists have blocked major roads in London and other cities across Europe at the beginning of what was billed as a wide-ranging series of protests demanding urgent action to deal with the world's climate crisis.Demonstrators marched through central London as they kicked off two weeks of activities designed to disrupt the city. London police said some 135 climate activists had been arrested.Extinction Rebellion said protesters from the XR Peace group were arrested as they blocked Victoria Embankment, outside the Ministry of Defence.Among those arrested was 81-year-old Sarah Lasenby, a retire…

Staff (2019-10-07). Climate Activists Block Roads, March in Global Protests. truthdig.com BERLIN — Activists with the Extinction Rebellion movement blocked major roads across major European cities Monday, kicking off a wide-ranging series of worldwide protests demanding much more urgent action against climate change. | In Berlin, around 1,000 people blocked the Grosser Stern, a traffic circle in the middle of the German capital's Tiergarten park dominated by the landmark Victory Column. That protest began before dawn. | At Monday lunchtime, another 300 people blocked Berlin's central Potsdamer Platz, placing couches, tables, chairs and flowerpots on the road. | Related Articles: …

Vijay Prashad, E. Ahmet Tonak (2019-10-07). What to Expect from Turkey's Coming Invasion of Syria. commondreams.org The SDF is now vulnerable to the full might of the Turkish army. (Photo: James Gordon/cc/flickr) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/syria_3.jpeg

Middle East Eye (2019-10-07). Turkey's Erdogan to Meet Trump in Washington DC to Discuss Syria. theantimedia.com There had been expectations in Turkey of Trump-Erdogan meeting on Syria last month on sidelines of UN General Assembly, but it did not happen.

Staff (2019-10-07). Trump Agrees to Let Turkey Invade Kurdish-Controlled Syrian Area. truthout.org | | U.S. troops have begun withdrawing from northeast Syria as Turkey prepares to invade Kurdish-controlled areas of the country. For years, the Kurds have been close allies to the United States in the fight against ISIS. On Sunday, however, the White House released a statement that surprised many in the region, announcing that Turkey would be "moving forward with its long-planned operation in Northern Syria," following a phone call between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The…

Jason Ditz (2019-10-07). US Troops Will Withdraw From Northeast Syria to Avoid Imminent Turkish Invasion. theantimedia.com U.S.-backed forces in Syria said they would "not hesitate to turn any unprovoked attack by Turkey into an all-out war."

teleSUR (2019-10-07). US Pulls Troops from Syria as Turkey Prepares Offensive. telesurenglish.net The United States began pulling troops back from the northeast Syria border Monday, opening the way for a Turkish strike on Kurdish-led forces long allied to Washington, in a move U.S. President Donald Trump hailed as a bid to quit "endless wars." | RELATED: | Turkey Will Launch Operation Against Kurdish Forces: Erdogan | The major policy shift, which h…

Juan Cole (2019-10-07). Trump Talks Tough With Journalists But Lets Real Strongmen Like Turkey's Erdogan Walk All Over Him. commondreams.org Trump clearly has signed off on this plan, apparently afraid to take Erdogan on. (Photo: Russian President, cc) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/erdogan_2.jpeg

Juan Cole (2019-10-07). Trump Is Inviting Genocide in Northern Syria. truthdig.com This piece originally appeared on Informed Comment. | Last week during the visit of the Finnish president, Trump acted out with a journalist, James Mason of Reuters who asked him a simple question. What exactly did Trump want from Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky during the notorious July telephone call? Trump did a bad de Niro impression, asking him, "You talking to me?" And then he browbeat the poor ma…

Jeet Heer (2019-10-07). Trump Is Still Riding Herd Over the GOP. thenation.com Trump Is Still Riding Herd Over the GOP…

Karl Evers-Hillstrom and Yue Stella Yu (2019-10-07). The political giving history of Trump's Ukraine diplomats. nationofchange.org A series of text messages between U.S. diplomats released Thursday night reveals an apparent effort to pressure Ukraine into performing an investigation that could prove harmful to President Donald Trump's potential 2020 opponent. | One of the diplomats involved has a lengthy history as a Republican donor, while another performed lobbying work for foreign clients and a major defense company. | In the exchanges, acting ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor asked Gordon Sondland, ambassador to the European Union, if U.S. secur…

WSWS (2019-10-07). Pompeo signs US-Greek military alliance and threatens Iran, Russia, China. wsws.org Aggressive US and European foreign policy is intensifying the risk that great-power conflict over the Balkans and the Middle East can trigger a global war.

Azadeh Shahshahani (2019-10-07). U.S. Police are Being Trained by Israel—And Communities of Color Are Paying the Price. progressive.org In recent years, Georgia has experienced troubling trends in fatal police shootings. As this has unfolded, the state continues to pursue a "police exchange" program with the state of Israel.

Staff (2019-10-07). "A Shakespearean Act of Betrayal": Trump Agrees to Let Turkey Invade Kurdish-Controlled Syrian Area. democracynow.org U.S. troops have begun withdrawing from northeast Syria as Turkey prepares to invade Kurdish-controlled areas of the country. For years, the Kurds have been close allies to the United States in the fight against ISIS. On Sunday, however, the White House released a statement that surprised many in the region, announcing that Turkey would be "moving forward with its long-planned operation in Northern Syria," following a phone call between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "The United States Armed Forces will not support or be involved in that operation, and the United States forces, having…

Staff (2019-10-07). Headlines for October 7, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Orders U.S. Troops to Step Aside for Turkish Assault on Kurdish Forces, 109 Killed and 6,000 Wounded as Anti-Government Protests Rage in Iraq, Second Whistleblower Has Firsthand Knowledge of Trump-Ukraine Scandal, Secretary of State Pompeo Calls Impeachment Inquiry "Silly Gotcha Game", Trump Calls GOP Senator Mitt Romney "Pompous" over Ukraine Rebuke, North Korea Calls Off Denuclearization Talks with the U.S., U.S. Meets with Taliban for First Time Since Trump Canceled Afghan Peace Talks, Israeli Forces Fire on Gaza Protesters, Killing One and Injuring Dozens, Protesters Call for Kavanaugh's Removal One Yea…

Andrea Germanos, staff writer (2019-10-07). Socialists Win in Portugal in Rebuke to Far-Right Populism. commondreams.org The center-right Social Democratic Party had its worst result in over three decades. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/socialists-win-portugal-2019.jpg

RT (2019-10-06). 2nd whistleblower 'comes forward' with more Ukrainegate 'proof' in Trump impeachment saga — report. rt.com The lawyer representing a whistleblower, whose complaint fueled the Democrats' attempt to impeach Trump for "pressuring" Ukraine, said that a second intelligence officer with "first-hand knowledge" of allegations has spoken up. | Attorney Mark Zaid told ABC News that he is now representing the second whistleblower, who had already been interviewed by Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson. | Earlier, the New York Times reported that a second person may come forward and testify about the case, but it was not immediately clear whether Zaid's new client is the same person. | Zaid told me…

RT (2019-10-06). 'Biden family was PAID OFF, pure and simple!' Trump in latest rant over Ukrainegate. rt.com Attacking the Bidens, the Democrats and the "fake news" media in one powerful swipe, President Donald Trump has fired a volley of trademark Sunday tweets, calling Joe and Hunter Biden's involvement in Ukraine "inexcusable." | "It is INCREDIBLE to watch and read the Fake News and how they pull out all stops to protect Sleepy Joe Biden and his thrown out of the Military son, Hunter," Trump started out, before launching into a Twitterstorm of seemingly damning facts about the Bidens, Ukraine and China. | He brought up Hunter's "$100,000 a month (Plus,Plus)" income from the Ukrainian gas company Burisma "even thou…

James Risen (2019-10-06). Why is the Army Still Honoring Confederate Generals? theintercept.com Photo illustration: Soohee Cho/The Intercept; Photos: National Archives, University of Georgia School of Law, Wikimedia Commons, Library of Congress, Getty Images | In the South in the years before the Civil War, it would have been difficult to find a more zealous advocate for slavery than Henry Lewis Benning. He was a firebrand from Georgia and an early advocate of Southern secession. As his public stature rose, Benning became an increasingly ardent voice for the creation of a pro-slavery Southern republic. He helped draft Georgia's ordinance of secession, which took the state out of the Union just before th…

teleSUR (2019-10-06). France, First Country in EU With Facial Recognition ID System. telesurenglish.net France is set to be the first country in the European Union to use facial recognition technology to give citizens a digital identity. | RELATED: | Twitter Exec Exposed as UK Military Officer: Report | President Emmanuel Macron's government said it wants the state to be more competent and is, therefore, driving plans to disclose in November the ID program in the form of an application designated by the label Alicem. | The application, only functioning on Android will be the only mode for…

teleSUR (2019-10-06). EU Could Face Refugee Crisis Worst Than 2015: German Gov't. telesurenglish.net Europe may face a new refugee and migrant influx, Germany's Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said Sunday, urging the EU to support Greece and Turkey and to agree on a quota system. | RELATED: | Judge Blocks Trump's Migrant Child Detention Law | "We must do more to help our European partners with controls on the EU external borders. We have left them alone for too long," the minister told German Bild am Sonntag newspaper after visiting Greece and Turkey. | Seehofer, a member of the German co…

teleSUR (2019-10-06). 2nd Whistleblower in Trump-Ukraine Scandal Comes Forward. telesurenglish.net A second whistleblower has come forward with first-hand knowledge of United States President Donald Trump's attempts to get his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate political rival Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, lawyers for the intelligence official informed Sunday. | RELATED: | More Than Half in US Approve of Trump Impeachment Inquiry: Poll

Binoy Kampmark (2019-10-06). Internal Dissolution: Brexit and the Disunited Kingdom. dissidentvoice.org While the European family seems to be having its internal spats — populist sparks within threatening to light the powder keg — the marshals and deputies, for the most part, are attempting to contain the British contagion. Britain is still scheduled to leave on October 31 without a deal with the European Union. The divorce …

pip.hinman (2019-10-06). Support grows for Jock Palfreeman inside Bulgaria. greenleft.org.au rule of law Pip HinmanIssue 1240 Australia parole justice injusticeOctober 7, 2019On October 7, in an unprecedented departure from the rule of law, three j…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-10-06). Attorneys Say They Now Represent 'Multiple Whistleblowers' With Knowledge of Trump-Ukraine Call. commondreams.org One of the whistleblowers has "first-hand knowledge" about Trump's call with Ukraine's leader, according to attorney Mark Zaid. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_whistleblowers.jpg

RT (2019-10-06). 'I feel like never before': Russian-born LA 'Subway Soprano' gives tearful INTERVIEW after her 1st big stage performance (VIDEO). rt.com 'Subway Soprano' Emily Zamourka, a homeless singer who became a viral sensation overnight, couldn't hold back tears when talking to Ruptly after her first big stage performance. She said she's starting a full-time music career. | Speaking to RT's video agency Ruptly after her performance at the opening of the New Little Italy district in Los Angeles, the Russian-born Zamourka said she felt "like never before in her entire life." She sang an aria from Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini. | I feel this is… my chance of teaching people the real me, who I was the whole time. | It all started with a tweet o…

RT (2019-10-05). Dems fishing for State Dept leakers? Pompeo warns Congress against 'HARASSING' his employees over Trump impeachment probe. rt.com Mike Pompeo says the State Department will cooperate with a congressional probe seeking the impeachment of Donald Trump — but he will not allow his employees to be coerced into leaking documents as part of a "silly gotcha game." | Read more | | The Ukraine affair is damning, all right — just not in the way you're being told to think | Pompeo said on Saturday that his department had responded in writing to a congressional request for documents linked to the probe into whether US President Donald Trump tried to pressure Ukraine to investi…

teleSUR (2019-10-05). Turkey Will Launch Operation Against Kurdish Forces: Erdogan. telesurenglish.net Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that the Turkish Armed Forces are prepared to launch a new military operation against the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria. | RELATED: | UN's Guterres Announces Syria Constitutional Committee | In a new statement, Erdogan said the Turkish Armed Forces will be mounting a military operation in northeastern Syria, as he blamed the U.S. of not doing enough to expel the Kurdish-led forces along the border.

teleSUR (2019-10-05). North Korea Breaks off Nuclear Talks With US in Sweden. telesurenglish.net North Korea's top negotiator said late on Saturday that working-level nuclear talks in Sweden between officials from Pyongyang and Washington had broken off, dashing prospects for an end to months of stalemate. | RELATED: | North Korea Fires Submarine Missile in Show of Strength | The North's chief nuclear negotiator, Kim Myong Gil, who spent much of the day in talks with an American delegation, cast the blame on what he portrayed as U.S. inflexibility, saying the other side's negotia…

teleSUR (2019-10-05). Maduro: Socio-Productive Ties with Russia Stronger Than Ever. telesurenglish.net The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, said Saturday that diplomatic relations and socio-productive commitments with Russia are stronger than ever. | The intervention of the head of state, comes after holding a meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov , who on behalf of President Vladimir Putin, reaffirmed his commitment to diplomatic strengthening and bilateral cooperation. | RELATED: | Venezuela Calls For Complementary Use Of Energy Sources | "We have created new ventur…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-10-05). 'Most Implausible Alibi I've Ever Heard': Trump Ridiculed for Blaming Rick Perry for Ukraine Call. commondreams.org "So the call was perfect. But the call was also Rick Perry's idea and Trump didn't want to do it. And Rick Perry is leaving the administration soon. Weird." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/trump_rick_perry.jpg

RT (2019-10-04). Shot down? Testimony by Trump's Ukraine envoy seems to skewer Democrats' impeachment narrative. rt.com Another transcript has poked a hole in the narrative of House Democrats trying to impeach President Donald Trump, as former US special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker testified he never pushed Kiev for 'dirt' on former VP Joe Biden. | Volker was grilled for nine hours in a closed-doors session of the House Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, and Oversight committees on Thursday. Democrats on the committees claimed that he was instrumental in pushing the Ukrainian government to reopen a corruption investigation into Joe Biden's son Hunter's business dealings in Ukraine. | House Intelligence chair Adam Schiff (D-Califor…

RT (2019-10-04). The Ukraine affair is damning, all right — just not in the way you're being told to think. rt.com Democrats say texts and transcripts involving US officials dealing with Ukraine prove President Donald Trump should be impeached. What they actually confirm, however, is the extent to which the US treats Ukraine as a vassal. | At the heart of the latest media firestorm are the text messages between US diplomats and Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. House Democrats seeking to impeach Trump have already sent a subpoena to the White House seeking more documents, and their allies in the media have proclaimed the texts to be "damning." | Much of the brouhaha centers on messages from Bill Taylor, charge d'af…

RT (2019-10-04). As impeachment fever grips Washington, Ukraine reopens Biden probe following Trump's demands. rt.com As Democrats clamor to impeach President Donald Trump for allegedly pressuring Ukraine into probing the Biden family, Kiev's top prosecutor announced that he will reopen the investigation. | Ukrainian Prosecutor General Ruslan Ryaboshapka announced on Friday that he will review 15 high-profile corruption cases. Among them is an investigation into the owner of energy firm Burisma, which paid former vice president Joe Biden's son Hunter $50,000 per month to sit on its board for five years, despite his lack of qualifications in the field. | President Trump believes that Joe Biden wielded his political influence t…

Alex Emmons (2019-10-04). Text Messages Show the Trump-Zelensky Call Had Just One Goal — And It Was Anything but Routine. theintercept.com A summary of the infamous conversation could lead to Donald Trump's impeachment, but these text messages reveal for the first time how the call came about.

RT (2019-10-04). Trump signs visa waiver for Poland following defense talks. rt.com President Donald Trump has signed off on Poland's entry to the State Department's Visa Waiver Program, letting Polish citizens enter the US for 90 days without a visa. The move follows defense talks with President Andrzej Duda. | Trump made the announcement on Friday, but the plan had been expected since Trump's meeting with Duda on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last month. There the two leaders held talks on defense, security and energy, with Trump confirming his plans to relocate an estimated 1,000 US troops to Poland, with the Polish government building facilities to house them. | The…

Paul Street (2019-10-04). We Meddle Too: Trump, Empire, and "The National Interest" counterpunch.org Never underestimate the power of the United States' American Exeptionalist and imperial doctrine. Look at the recent Washington Post revelation regarding wannabe fascist strongman Donald Trump's meeting with Russian ambassador Sergey Lavrov in the White House in 2017. Trump told Lavrov and another high-ranking Russian official that he wasn't concerned about Russia meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election because the United States does the same thing in other countries. More

RT (2019-10-04). Character assassination 101: Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell biopic rips 'fake news' for 1996 Atlanta Olympic bombing smear. rt.com Hollywood director Clint Eastwood takes a critical look at the FBI and an overzealous news media in a new fact-based biopic telling the saga of Richard Jewell, a security guard fingered for a bomb plot he tried to stop. | While working as a guard at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, Jewell discovered a backpack containing three pipe bombs. Immediately alerting police and helping to evacuate the area before the devices could detonate, Jewell saved scores of people from death or injury and was cheered for his heroism — but that would soon change. | Three days after the tragedy, Jewell found h…

Jeet Heer (2019-10-04). All the President's Scandals. thenation.com All the President's Scandals…

Romain Mielcarek (2019-10-04). Why Is Europe Still Fueling the War in Yemen? thenation.com Why Is Europe Still Fueling the War in Yemen?

United Nations (2019-10-04). Ground-breaking clean air protocol to guard human health and the planet, enters into force. un.org European and North American countries will take a major stride in cleaning up the atmosphere next Monday, 7 October, through the implementation of an amended legally binding treaty to limit the amount of emissions polluting the air.

Staff (2019-10-04). From Trump to Nixon: "Watergate" Film Explains "How We Learned to Stop an Out of Control President" democracynow.org President Donald Trump called openly Thursday for the leaders of Ukraine and China to investigate Trump's campaign rival Joe Biden and Biden's son Hunter for corruption. Trump's explicit remarks during a press conference came as leaders of the Democratic-led House pushed ahead rapidly with their impeachment investigation. President Trump is just the fourth U.S. president to face a formal impeachment inquiry, joining Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. We spend the hour looking at back at the Watergate scandal, which led to Nixon's resignation in 1974 and is the focus of a documentary titled "Watergate…

Staff (2019-10-04). Headlines for October 4, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Publicly Calls on Ukraine and China to Investigate the Bidens, Trump Discussed Campaign Rivals in June Call with China's Xi Jinping, FEC Chair: Illegal for Candidates to Solicit Foreign Help in U.S. Elections, Messages Detail How U.S. Officials Pressured Ukraine on Trump's Behalf, IRS Whistleblower: Treasury Official Tried to Interfere with Trump or Pence Tax Audit, Trump Administration to Collect DNA of All Immigrants Jailed in U.S., Iraq Death Toll at 44 as Violent Repression of Protests Continues, Honduran President Denies Narcotrafficking Ties as His Brother Faces U.S. Trial, Protests Rock Ecuador as IM…

Robert Mackey (2019-10-04). Echoing Trump, Russian TV Casts Joe Biden and Kurt Volker as Villains of Ukraine Saga. theintercept.com Russian television coverage of the unfolding scandal over Ukraine, which has focused on promoting smears against Joe Biden, has been fervently pro-Trump.

Reese Erlich (2019-10-03). Foreign Correspondent: Turkey Plans an Attack on Syrian Kurds. progressive.org So far, the scheme isn't working so well.

Tommy Enright (2019-10-03). The Cognitive Dissonance of Sonny Perdue. progressive.org The affable statesman from Georgia joked and charmed his way through a town hall meeting at the World Dairy Expo. The actual substance of his responses was another matter.

Staff (2019-10-03). Headlines for October 3, 2019. democracynow.org House Democrats Prepare White House Subpoena in Impeachment Probe, Trump Rages Against Impeachment Probe with Profanity and Insults, Bernie Sanders Has Surgery to Clear Blocked Artery, Deaths and Injuries Mount as Iraqi Police and Soldiers Fire on Protesters, EU Officials Wary as British PM Boris Johnson Unveils Brexit Plan , Hong Kong Teen Shot During Protests Charged with Assaulting Officer, Record-Breaking Hurricane Lorenzo Lashes Azores, Heads for Ireland, London Climate Protesters Spray British Treasury with Fake Blood, Cameroonian Asylum Seeker Dies in For-Profit Immigration Jail, Plácido Domingo Quits L.A.

Tyler Durden (2019-10-02). Protests Rage as Ukraine's President Zelensky Allows Election in Donbass. theantimedia.com Zelensky's unlikely rise to power in Ukraine was based in large part on convincing voters that he would ease tensions with Russia.

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…