Elizabeth Warren issues statement opposing Trump's nominee for Defense Secretary
Andrew Emett | nationofchange.org | 2019-07-22
After recently voting 'no' during an executive session to consider Mark Esper's nomination to be Secretary of Defense, Sen. Elizabeth Warren issued a statement opposing his nomination due to a potential conflict of interest with the major defense contractor, Raytheon. As an ex-vice president at Raytheon from 2010 to 2017, Esper directly refused last week to recuse himself from any financial decisions involving his former employer. | As the Senate prepares to confirm Esper as Defense Secretary, Warren issued a statement Thursday noting that if confirmed, Esper would become the fourth current Trump Administratio…
nationofchange.org/2019/07/22/elizabeth-warren-issues-statement-opposing-trumps-nominee-for-defense-secretary/

The War on Yemen Just Went from Bad to Worse for Saudi Arabia
Andrew Korybko | globalresearch.ca | 2019-07-22
The UAE's large-scale military drawdown in Yemen is extremely disadvantageous to the Saudis' strategic objectives in the conflict and will likely lead to the Kingdom scrambling for a "face-saving" exit of its own. | *** | Nobody's won the War on Yemen …
globalresearch.ca/war-yemen-just-went-bad-worse-saudi-arabia/5684279

Venezuela: Guaido's bodyguards arrested as Barbados talks resume
susan_p | greenleft.org.au | 2019-07-19
Three men linked to self-declared "Interim President" Juan Guaido were arrested on July 12, while allegedly selling weapons stolen during the failed April 30 putsch. | According to Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez, Guaido's personal bodyguards Erick Sanchez and Jason Parisi, as well as Sanchez's cousin Eduardo Garcia, were detained while reportedly trying to sell five AK-103 rifles and ten ammunition packs for US$35,000. | The rifles' serial numbers allegedly matched those stolen from the Bolivarian National Guard post in Caracas' Federal Legislative Palace, where the National Assembly sits. | The governme…
greenleft.org.au/content/venezuela-guaidos-bodyguards-arrested-barbados-talks-resume

How Israeli-Designed Drones Became Russia's Eyes in the Sky for Defending Bashar al-Assad
Patrick Hilsman | theintercept.com | 2019-07-16
Last summer, Israel shot down yet another military drone near the line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria. The confrontation would have been business as usual, if not for a twist: Images of the destroyed drone showed Cyrillic tail markings and other identifiable components of a Forpost belonging to Russia. The findings presented an awkward geopolitical moment: Syria and Russia are allies, and Syria and Israel are bitter enemies — but the Russ…
theintercept.com/2019/07/16/syria-war-israel-russia-drones/