(2019-08-05). The Case for Socialism. counterpunch.org 
Anyone doubting the arguments for socialism, should read Bhaskar Sunkara's "The Socialist Manifesto." It presents old rationales in new clothes; the clothes are simple and attractive, while the rationales are sound. They come, however, with a big warning. "We certainly don't want to repeat the last century's attempts, whether in Russia or China, to impose More
(2019-08-05). Arctic fires: "You have to go to a different planet to find a more persistent type" mronline.org 
Here's a sentence for you: The Arctic is burning. Yes, that Arctic—the traditionally cold and wet one, large swaths of which are being consumed by an astonishing number of wildfires, from Russia to Greenland to Alaska. | Source
(2019-08-05). Rivers of Dust: Water and the Middle East. counterpunch.org 
Syria and Iraq are at odds with Turkey over the Tigris-Euphrates. Egypt's relations with Sudan and Ethiopia over the Nile are tense. Jordan and the Palestinians accuse Israel of plundering river water to irrigate the Negev Desert and hogging most of the three aquifers that underlie the occupied West Bank. More
(2019-08-05). Headlines for August 5, 2019. democracynow.org White Supremacist Kills 20 People After Hate-Fueled Gun Rampage in El Paso, Gunman with Misogynistic Past Kills 9 People in Dayton, OH Shooting Spree, General Strike Grips Hong Kong as Protesters Refuse to Back Down, India Revokes Kashmir's Special Status as Tensions Mount in Disputed Region, Iran Seizes Tanker as Tensions Between Iran and U.S. Remain High, Russian Police Arrest 800+ Protesters as Crackdown on Dissent Continues, Sudan's Military Rulers and Opposition Leaders Sign Transition Agreement, 3 Mexican Journalists Killed in Under a Week, Pierluisi Sworn In as Puerto Rico's New Governor as San Juan Mayor…
(2019-08-05). Europe Says 'No Safe Level' of Brain-Damaging Pesticide Trump EPA Refused to Ban. globalresearch.ca European food safety regulators have found there is no safe level of exposure for a brain-damaging pesticide President Trump's Environmental Protection Agency recently refused to ban. | The European Food Safety Authority said today that chlorpyrifos, widely used on fruits and …
(2019-08-05). The Retainer Solution: the European Union, Libya and Irregular Migration. counterpunch.org There is a venom in international refugee policy that refuses to go away: officials charged with their tasks, passing on their labours to those who might see the UN Refugee Convention as empty wording, rather than strict injunction carved upon stone. They have all become manifest in the policy of deferral: humanitarian problems are for More
(2019-08-05). Democracy Threat? Trump Demands 'Realignment of British Politics'. The Americanization of Britain. globalresearch.ca I said that this moment would come. It has almost arrived. I warned that Britain is to become a European outpost of America (READ: The global alliance taking over Britain) and if ever proof was needed, it is the …
(2019-08-05). Rethinking Medicare for All — slightly. nationofchange.org After listening to the second set of Democratic debates, I realized that there exists a substantial divide among the presidential candidates on the question of whether private healthcare plans should be abolished once Medicare for All is provided by the government. I think that the question can be answered by looking at the way the education system is run in Finland. | "If you require all Americans to be insured through the same system, then the wealthy Americans are in the same boat with everyone else. Instead of wasting energy trying to cut services from the government health system (and trying to save money…
(2019-08-05). Monday's Daily Brief: Independent UN experts on Myanmar, UN chief renounces attacks in US, Libyan airport violence, UN spokesperson on Kashmir, and FAO and Italy on development. un.org Our main stories today: Myanmar companies bankroll 'brutal operations' of military; UN chief renounces shootings in the United States; 'Repeated indiscriminate' shelling of Libyan airport raises concern; UN voices 'concern' over Kashmir; and new UN agriculture chief reaffirms commitment with Italy on development…
(2019-08-05). Iran's Foreign Minister Zarif Drives Trump to Insanity. globalresearch.ca At a time when the Trump administration has no problem negotiating with the secretary of the Russian national security council Nikolai Patrushev, who is technically under US sanctions since April 2018, the cut and thrust of Washington's move to …
(2019-08-05). Election annulment please. nationofchange.org Russia hacked and attacked our 2016 presidential election and installed Donald Trump. This requires annulment. Trump didn't even come close on the actual popular vote, losing to Clinton by some three million votes, and yet seized the White House by the arcane and anti-democratic electoral college, but only due to Russian illegal interference. This makes …
(2019-08-05). U.S. imposes 2nd round of sanctions against Russia for poisoning ex-spy. nationofchange.org The United States is announcing a second round of sanctions on Russia for its use of a 'novichok' nerve agent in an attempt to assassinate Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal.
(2019-08-05). Russian authorities continue crackdown on opposition protests. wsws.org The violent crackdown on protests by the "liberal" opposition is aimed at intimidating all government opposition and preparing for the suppression of widespread resistance by the working class.
(2019-08-05). Study calls for closure of over half all health clinics in Germany. wsws.org With the argument that only the closure of clinics can achieve more staffing, better equipment and higher quality, the report calls for the closure of 800 of Germany's 1,400 hospitals.
(2019-08-05). Forty years since first German broadcast of the "Holocaust" series. wsws.org Under conditions of an international resurgence of fascist forces, the series, which had an enormous impact in West Germany in 1979, has lost none of its relevance.
(2019-08-05). In Wake of Nuclear Treaty Collapse, Putin Says if US Pursues Previously Banned Missiles, Russia Will Also. commondreams.org "The collapse of the INF Treaty last Friday opens up a Pandora's Box of dangerous possibilities." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/russia-if-us-nuclear-missiles-treaty.jpg …
(2019-08-05). Signs of Recession Are Hitting Europe—And Its New Central Bank President May Not Be Up for the Challenge. counterpunch.org 
We now know that there will be a changing of the guard at the European Central Bank (ECB) in October. The current head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, will succeed current ECB President Mario Draghi at that time. A known quantity among the political and investor class of Europe, Lagarde seems like a safe choice: she is a lawyer by training, not an economist. Hence, she is unlikely to usher in any dramatic changes. More
(2019-08-04). Mueller time is over, Russia-hate is here to stay. thegrayzone.com Stephen F. Cohen says that while Robert Mueller has closed up shop, dangerous U.S. fear-mongering about Russia remains. Guest: Stephen…
(2019-08-03). A $32mn nothingburger: Justice Dept bill comes due for Russiagate costs. rt.com 
Nearly two years of fruitlessly hunting for collusion between US President Donald Trump's campaign and the Russian government cost the country $31.7 million, the Justice Department has revealed.
(2019-08-03). Russian opposition figure detained ahead of Moscow protest. thecanary.co 
A leading opposition figure has been detained by Moscow police as she was heading to an unauthorised protest against the exclusion of independent and opposition candidates from the city council elections.Lyubov Sobol, who is one of the election hopefuls rejected from the ballot, was detained on Saturday in central Moscow and taken away in a police van.Activists intend to go ahead with the unauthorised protest (AP)The attempted rally comes a week after police detained nearly 1,400 protesters, beating some of them with truncheons.Despite repeated warnings that police would take active measures against a protest on…
(2019-08-03). Weekend Read: The SPLC fights an internal threat to our democracy. splcenter.org In his recent testimony before Congress, Special Counsel Robert Mueller pointedly warned the nation about Russia's ongoing attempts to meddle in our nation's elections.
(2019-08-03). Eyes on Ireland: Boris Johnson's Biggest Brexit Hurdle. uwidata.com 
Theresa May's chance at being the Prime Minister who delivers Brexit to the British people has expired. No amount of renegotiating with the European Union or pleading with the MPs of Westminster did much good in saving her career. Now the Tory Party's former frontrunner, Boris Johnson, has come to …
(2019-08-03). French government bans protests against police killing of Steve Caniàßo. wsws.org President Emmanuel Macron's imposition of a ban on protests against deadly police violence makes clear that a police state rules France.
(2019-08-03). US scrapping of INF treaty heightens threat of nuclear war. wsws.org The formal abrogation of the treaty declared on Friday sets the stage for the testing and deployment of medium-range missiles against both Russia and China.
(2019-08-02). Climate System "Getting Unhinged" as Massive Heat Wave Causes Record Melting of Greenland Ice Sheet. democracynow.org 
The massive heat dome that shattered all-time temperature records across much of Europe last week has settled in over Greenland, driving temperatures across the vast region to as much as 30 degrees Fahrenheit above normal. In July, Greenland's ice sheet lost 197 billion tons of ice, the equivalent of around 80 million Olympic swimming pools. This comes as the World Meteorological Organization said Thursday that July was the warmest month in recorded human history. It followed the hottest June on record, as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels climbed to a record high of 415 parts per million earlier this year. We sp…
(2019-08-02). Greenland is melting away as global temperatures soar. peoplesworld.org 
BERLIN (AP) — The heat wave that smashed high temperature records in five European countries a week ago is now over Greenland, accelerating the melting of the island's ice sheet and causing massive ice loss in the Arctic. Greenland, the world's largest island, is a semi-autonomous Danish territory between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans that …
(2019-08-02). Over 100 Killed in Another Mediterannean Shipwreck as Europe Watches. therealnews.com 
Frédéric Penard discusses the efforts of small NGOs to rescue refugees crossing the Mediterranean, against the efforts of European governments to block the entry of people fleeing war and famine…
(2019-08-02). Russian assets in America: A field guide. rt.com 
While the media likes to make a fuss about shady 'Russian hackers' and 'Russian bots' subverting democracy, did you know that America is actually full of Russian assets plying their trade openly? We find the worst of the worst.
(2019-08-02). Headlines for August 2, 2019. democracynow.org Pentagon to Receive $1.48 Trillion Under Two-Year Budget Deal, Russia Declares Nuclear Arms Treaty "Formally Dead" as U.S. Withdraws, Trump Threatens to Impose Steeper Tariffs on Chinese Goods, Puerto Rico Faces Succession Crisis as Disgraced Governor Resigns, Video Shows Dallas Police Mocking Man Who Died in Their Custody, Dozens Killed as Two Attacks Rattle Yemen's Port City of Aden, Four Killed as Sudanese Soldiers Fire on Peaceful Pro-Democracy Activists, Third Case of Ebola in Congolese City Sparks Fears in Neighboring Rwanda, U.S. Prepares to Withdraw Thousands of Troops Amid Peace Talks with Taliban, July…
(2019-08-02). An American Jew Looks at the Palestine Question. counterpunch.org I am Jew, a non-religious Jew of European origin, living in the U.S.A. What is my connection to Israel and what right do I have to speak? It can be tempting to distance myself from the conflicts of Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews, enacted far away. But as a Jew, I do have, for more More
(2019-08-02). The Retainer Solution: The European Union, Libya and Irregular Migration. dissidentvoice.org There is a venom in international refugee policy that refuses to go away: officials charged with their tasks, passing on their labours to those who might see the UN Refugee Convention as empty wording, rather than strict injunction carved upon stone. They have all become manifest in the policy of deferral: humanitarian problems are for …
(2019-08-02). UN chief laments ending of Cold War-era disarmament treaty. un.org Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his "deep regret" on Friday that the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty between the United States and Russia came to an end.
(2019-08-02). Update: Devonia Inman's Chance to Prove His Innocence. theintercept.com More than eight years after DNA evidence revealed the state of Georgia sent the wrong man to prison for murder, Inman may have a chance to prove his innocence.
(2019-08-02). Help build the movement for system change — become a Green Left supporter. greenleft.org.au 
It's understandable to feel enraged watching the news about our climate: record-breaking summer temperatures across Europe, the disappearing Arctic ice sheet, deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon. | It's depressing stuff. | I am enraged on a daily basis listening to the business-as-usual, head-in-the-sand responses to climate change from pro-capitalist governments and mining company spin doctors. | Or hearing that US President Donald Trump has allowed the use of bee-killing pesticides and that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has green-lighted illegal land clearing in the Amazon. | Or reading that the Australi…
(2019-08-01). Recent statements from Minister of Defense Hulisi Akar on Syria. uwidata.com 
"If we do not reach a consensus, we will be forced to form a security zone alone." There had been intense discussions between Turkey and the United States for several months over the S-400 issue. They were full of hard mutual accusations and threats from every side. Turkey did not back down, and Russia began …
(2019-08-01). Kamala Harris Team Accused of "Inventing Conspiracies" About Tulsi Gabbard. theantimedia.com The Kamala Harris' campaign jumped to tie Gabbard and her campaign to a nebulously defined and unclear Russian conspiracy.
(2019-08-01). Why Is Russia in Syria? progressive.org It's for many of the same bad reasons used by the United States.
(2019-08-01). Eyes on the Prize. progressive.org How anti-abortionists in Georgia and elsewhere are building on a long-range plan.
(2019-08-01). Legendary anti-war singer to headline Sydney Folk Festival. greenleft.org.au 
Legendary Scottish-Australian folk singer Eric Bogle, best known for his anti-war classics "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" and "The Green Fields of France", will headline the Sydney Folk Festival this month. | Although headlined by Bogle, whose career has spanned decades, the festival being held on August 16-18 aims to highlight new music in "a massive celebration of the best and most adventurous in today's new generation of folk", according to the festival's director, Warren Fahey. | Fahey said the festival will "totally blow away" any outdated stereotypes of "old school" folk. | "For quite a while folk m…
(2019-07-31). Why Yet Another General Election for Spain? therealnews.com 
Spain's Socialist party PSOE and the leftist Unidas Podemos party failed to form a coalition government and now new elections loom if new talks go nowhere. It looks like PSOE's lack of interest in a leftist coalition was the reason for the failure, says Sebastiaan Faber…
(2019-07-31). The Future of Turkey-Russia Relations Post Shipments S-400 Missile System. uwidata.com 
Russia as a country has been able to come to the forefront of the international arena in recent times, especially since Vladimir Putin came to power, and then in 2000 as the country's president. But there is one point to consider both in the political and international spheres about Russia, which is that it can …
(2019-07-31). Turkish-Chinese relations: fighting back against Western hegemony. uwidata.com 
Turkey and China are attracting attention due to their political past and their recent actions in the economic sphere. Emre Demir, a senior researcher at the Department of Political Science and International Relations of the TED University (Turkish Educational Association) commented on the current situation in Turkish-Chinese relations after President Erdogan's recent visit to China. …
(2019-07-31). The mountain gave birth to a mouse. uwidata.com After Ankara began to receive the S-400 missile systems they had purchased from Russia, Trump gathered republican senators for a meeting in the White House to discuss possible retaliatory actions against Turkey. Members of Congress have been unhappy with Turkey's decision to buy the long-range missile defense systems, but have not yet decided what measures …
(2019-07-30). Four Immigrants Have Died at Stewart ICE Jail in Georgia. Advocates Want It Shut Down. democracynow.org 
A 44-year-old immigrant from Mexico died last week at Stewart Detention Center, one of the largest immigration jails in the United States and one that has been plagued by allegations of neglect and abuse for years. Pedro Arriago-Santoya was the fourth person to die at Stewart in just two years and the seventh person to die while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement since October. An immigration judge had ordered Arriago-Santoya be deported in June. Instead, he was transferred to Stewart on July 10 as his removal proceedings continued. Two weeks later he was pronounced dead at a Georgia hospital.
(2019-07-30). Greece: Suicide or Murder? dissidentvoice.org Pundits from the left, from the right and from the center cannot stop reporting about Greece's misery. And rightly so because the vast majority of her people live in deep economic hardship. No hope. Unemployment is officially at 18%, with the real figure closer to 25% or 30%; pensions have been reduced about ten times …
(2019-07-30). 'Do something'; UN relief chief urges Security Council action to stop the Syrian carnage unfolding 'in front of your eyes'. un.org Bombing and shelling in Syria for more than 90 days by the Government and Russia have led to "carnage in the so-called de-escalation zone" of Idlib, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on Tuesday, in his seventh update since the "current onslaught" began.
(2019-07-01). US Sanctions Maduro's Son as Venezuela Discussed at G20. venezuelanalysis.com Russian President Vladimir Putin challenged Juan Guaido to run in elections while Trump said he has "five different alternatives for Venezuela."